Eurovision: Bulgaria wins, Israel second. Italy fifth place with Sal Da Vinci

Bulgaria won surprisingly the 70th edition of theEurovision Song Contest 2026 with the hit ‘Bangaranga’ by Dara, ahead of Israel which received a strong boost from the televoting for ‘Michelle’ by Noam Bettan, amidst the boos of the audience at the Vienna Stadthalle. Third was Romania, only a fifth place for Italy with ‘Per semper si” by Sal da Vinci.

The final evening, which took place amidst imposing security measures and under incessant rain in the Austrian capital, concluded an edition which for the third consecutive year was dominated by controversies over Israel’s participation, including protests in and out of the room and the boycott decided by Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia for the war in Gaza. Among the usual fires, explosions and special effects, Eurovision once again offered a spotlight to the “Slava Ukraini!” (Glory to Ukraine!) shouted by singer Viktorija Lele’ka to remember the suffering and resistance to the Russian invasion.

The triumph of the outsider Dara and the Balkan boom

Of the 25 countries who competed for the pop crown, including the highly favored Finnish violinist (only sixth), the Moldovan folk rapper and the Serbian metal band, the outsider Dara prevailed. Bulgaria, in its first victory at Eurovision (in 2017 it came second), obtained 516 points thanks to the support of the jury and the public while Israel stopped at 343, largely coming from televoting.

The 27-year-old Dara is very famous in her homeland and in the Balkan area for her voice and the fusion of pop, R&B and electronic genres. His song, whose title means “Chaos”, is a rousing hymn to personal freedom and rebellion. Born in Varna, she launched herself on ‘X Factor Bulgaria’ and her hits such as ‘Thunder’, ‘Call Me’ and ‘Mr. Rover’ boast more than 80 million views. The album Adhdara gave her great international visibility, which was destined to increase after the Vienna triumph.

Disappointment for Italy: Sal Da Vinci stops in fifth place

Disappointment for Sal Da Vinci, winner of the last one Sanremo Festivalwhich arrived with 281 points quintothe same placing as Lucio Corsi last year. The 59-year-old Neapolitan singer, the oldest member of Eurovision, can console himself with the international success of his ‘Per semper si’ which has skyrocketed to over 60 million streams on digital platforms. The Minister of Tourism, Gianmarco Mazzi, also arrived in Vienna to support him.