Dara, representing Bulgaria for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest has won the competition in Vienna, scoring right to the top with a massive 516 points! Bulgaria was not an expected 'favourite' to win, and completely gobsmacked Eurovision fans around the world with the win! Favourites to win on the night were Finland & Australia, who saw 6th place (Finland) and 4th place (Australia). This means the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 will be hosted in Bulgaria- usually the cities within the country will submit proposals to host the competition, however, Bulgarian National Television have already confirmed that the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 will be held in Bulgaria's capital city, Sofia, next year!

Eurovision 2026 final result | Source: Eurovision World

Some other notable mentions are Romania in third place with 296 points- Romania haven't participated in the competition since 2023, so coming back after 3 years and achieving an absolutely amazing result will surely be an incentive for Romania to continue participating. The Romanian entry was Alexandra Capitanescu with 'Choke Me'. This song was quite controversial for its theme, however, was proven to be extremely popular with the public, achieving over 200 points from televote alone.

Delta Goodrem performing her Eurovision song, 'Eclipse' | Source: ABC News

Following close behind Romania with 287 points is Australia, who sent Delta Goodrem to the contest this year with 'Eclipse'. Delta was actually in the top % of countries predicted to win, but they missed the top spot by quite a significant amount of points. Nonetheless, Delta performed flawlessly on the Vienna stage!

Ultimately, Bulgaria take the top spot with 516 points with their song 'BANGARANGA'. Dara's songs have amassed over 80 million listens and views, and she is quite the iconic popstar back home in Bulgaria! The lyrics of BANGARANGA actually address Dara's commitment to overcoming anxiety and ADHD, which she says she was diagnosed with last year. She said, "Bangaranga is something that everyone's got in themselves. It's the moment you chose to lead with love, not fear".

A snapshot of Dara's performance on the Vienna stage | Source: EPA

If you didn't watch the show, Dara's song came not only with catchy lyrics, but an thrilling beat, choreography that makes your back more sore than you'd like to admit, and actually included some Bulgarian traditions. The tradition is called 'Kukeri', which is when masked performers chase away evil spirits.