Bulgaria unexpectedly wins Eurovision 2026.

Pop singer Dara brought Bulgaria its first victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 after an explosive performance in the final held in Vienna, Austria, beating a host of highly-rated contenders before the competition.

Dara brilliantly won at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. (Source: Eurovision)

On the evening of May 16th, Dara (real name Darina Yotova) brilliantly won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest with her song "Bangaranga ," marking an impressive return for Bulgaria after three consecutive absences from Europe's biggest televised music competition.

The 27-year-old singer wasn't among the contestants predicted to win before the final night, but her energetic performance and elaborate stage production helped her create a big surprise.

In the initial stages of the results announcement, Israeli representative Noam Bettan was considered to have the advantage with his song "Michelle," thanks to receiving high votes from television viewers across Europe. However, the final voting results helped Dara take the lead with a total of 516 points, 173 points more than Israel.

This is the second consecutive year that Israel has finished in second place. The following positions were taken by Romania with 296 points, Australia with 287 points, Italy with 281 points, and Finland with 279 points.

Speaking after her victory, Dara said she wanted to give the audience a fresh and different performance, one that would go beyond the usual expectations of Eurovision.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov congratulated the singer on Facebook, calling it a proud moment for the country. With this victory, Bulgaria will host the next Eurovision season.

This year's Eurovision final brought together representatives from 25 countries. Despite being highly regarded before the competition, the representatives from France, Greece, Denmark, and Australia did not achieve the rankings they had hoped for.

Each year, Eurovision attracts over 170 million global television viewers and billions of views on digital platforms. After more than 70 years, the competition is not only a musical arena but also reflects many cultural, social, and political issues in Europe.

Eurovision 2026 also sparked controversy when Israel continued to participate amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza, leading to calls for a boycott from some European countries.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bulgaria-bat-ngo-chien-thang-eurovision-2026-394793.html