Sitting outside most oddsmakers’ top five coming into final in Vienna, Bulgaria improbably won both the jury vote and the popular vote among the 25 national finalists thanks to pop star Dara’s dance-hall thumper “Bangaranga.”

Bulgaria earned its first-ever Eurovision title. Nobody knows what “Bangaranga” means, but Dara said at the show that it’s the “feeling that everybody gets in themselves the moment you choose to lead through love and not fear.”

The presence of Israel’s Noam Bettan in dramatic final-two split-screen with Bulgaria’s Dara during the ceremony’s closing prompted both booing and Jewish-solidarity calls of “Am Yisrael Chai” in the background.

The 160 million or so people who watch Eurovision held their breath on who would finish first.

Bulgaria achieved its first win ever, having joined only in 2005 and failing to even making it to the finals in all but five previous competitions.

Israel joined Eurovision in 1973 and was seeking its fifth overall title. The country also finished in second last year as Nova Massacre survivor Yuval Raphael, also a writer on “Michelle,” captured a large section of the public vote.

Five countries, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands, declined to compete in Eurovision this year as protest over Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, causing financial crisis for the institution.

A child of French immigrants to Israel, Bettan climbed the standings due to the rousing toxic-love story anthem “Michelle,” which, though it seems like a pop song, was regarded as a metaphor for Jews’ relationship with Europe.

Bettan faced “Free Palestine” heckles in the semifinals and even rehearsed with simulated boos to prepare for the evening. Israel tends to do better in the popular vote than the jury vote, though did earn high jury scores from Poland and Moldova on Saturday night, May 17.

The letter raised eyebrows among some pro-Israel voices who noted other countries’ broadcasters and governments engage in similar campaign practices. Kan halted the practices but the network was vindicated as Israel finished in second place again anyway.

Pre-final favorites Finland, Australia and Greece all finished outside the top three.

Australia had hopes, coming out of the semifinals as it sought its first title since joining Eurovision 11 years ago but notched only a fourth-place finish.

Finland in particular was a favorite throughout the competition with a dramatic, star-laden production. The Millennial pop star Pete Parkkonen and Gen X violinist Linda Lampenius teamed up for “Liekinheitin,” about Parkkonen’s conflicted romantic feelings. But the country only managed a sixth-place finish.

The event closed a week-long competition at Vienna’s Stadthalle with 25 countries competing in the final.

Amid protests and counterprotests, the scene in the city was tensegrew. Vienna deployed 500 private security personnel, 180 new cameras and counter-drones and sniffer dogs to counter threats. City officials also teamed up FBI task force with FBI force in New York to monitor cyber threats.

The final Eurovision 2026 results: