A singer most of Europe had never heard of just won the world’s biggest song contest. Dara’s ‘Bangaranga’ scored 516 points and broke every record.
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Dara from Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song ‘Bangaranga’. It is the first time Bulgaria has won Eurovision.
The contest was the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The Grand Final took place on Saturday in Vienna, Austria, where 25 countries competed for the trophy.
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Bulgaria received a total of 516 points. They won both the national jury vote (204 points) and the public televote (312 points).
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The song won with a 173-point lead over second place. This is the biggest winning margin in Eurovision history, beating the 169-point lead that Alexander Rybak’s “Fairytale” achieved at Moscow 2009.
The song was written by Dara herself, along with Anne Judith Wik, Cristian Tarcea, and Dimitris Kontopoulos. The staging was handled by Fredrik Rydman.
It is also the first time the juries and the public have chosen the same winner in almost 10 years, since Kyiv 2017.
Dara first gained attention on X Factor Bulgaria and has since built a reputation for explosive pop tracks and confident stage energy. She is also a mentor on “The Voice Bulgaria.” She had not been among the favourites to win.
Israel finished second with Noam Bettan’s “Michelle.” Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu came third with “Choke Me.” Australian star Delta Goodrem placed fourth with “Eclipse,” and Italian singer Sal Da Vinci came fifth with “Per Sempre Si.”
Finland, who were strong favourites on betting markets, ended up in sixth place with 279 points.
Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain boycotted Eurovision 2026 because Israel was allowed to participate. Eurovision 2026 had 35 participating countries, the lowest number since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004.
The 71st Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted in Bulgaria next year, following Dara’s victory.
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