Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026 as Israel participation sparks protests

Bulgarian vocalist Dara secured first place at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on Saturday with the entry "Bangaranga," collecting 516 points from national juries and televoters as the competition faced widespread protests and boycotts over Israel's involvement amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Bulgaria claims Eurovision crown

The final was held at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in the Austrian capital, where Dara's performance earned top honors ahead of Israel's Noam Bettan, who finished second with 343 points, and Romania's representative, who took third with 296 points. The victory marked Bulgaria's first win in the competition's history, capping a week of rehearsals and semifinals that drew thousands of fans to Vienna.

Protests disrupt Vienna final

Five countries — Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Iceland and Ireland — withdrew from the competition to protest Israel's participation, while over 1,000 protesters converged on Christian Broda Square and marched toward the venue bearing placards stating "Don't celebrate genocide" and "No stage for genocide." Inside the arena, audience members waved Palestinian flags during Bettan's performance and booed when Israel's public vote results were announced.

Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, condemned Israel's presence during the broadcast, writing on social media that "there should be no stage for Israel at Eurovision while there is an ongoing genocide, unlawful occupation and apartheid." During the first semifinal on May 12, security personnel removed protesters wearing "Free Palestine" slogans from the venue after audience members chanted "Stop the genocide" and displayed Palestinian flags.

Broadcasters criticize EBU as ratings fall

Spain's RTVE public broadcaster transmitted a message supporting "peace and justice for Palestine" at the start of its broadcast, momentarily darkening its screen to display the text in Spanish and English. Belgium's Flemish public broadcaster VRT warned it may reconsider future participation unless the European Broadcasting Union changes its policies regarding countries engaged in active war.

Viewership declined significantly in several markets amid the boycott calls, with Dutch broadcaster NOS reporting a 42% drop in semifinal ratings compared to 2025 — the country's least-watched Eurovision semifinal since 2012. Italian public broadcaster RAI drew 1.87 million viewers for the first semifinal, falling from 2.489 million in the previous year, while audience figures also fell in the UK, Sweden and Belgium.