Double Triumph: Israel Clinches Silver as Bulgaria Makes Eurovision History
Full scoreboard reveals a historic maiden win for Sofia and a massive public voting surge that kept Jerusalem on the podium.
Bulgaria captured its first-ever Eurovision Song Contest 2026 victory on Saturday night at the 70th annual competition in Vienna, Austria. Bulgarian singer DARA won the contest with her hit song "Bangaranga," securing a grand total of 516 points after placing first with both the national juries and the global viewing public.
Israel’s representative, Noam Bettan, achieved a massive milestone by finishing in second place with his song "Michelle," earning a total of 343 points. Romania followed in third place with 296 points, Australia in fourth with 287 points, and Italy rounded out the top five with 281 points.
Public Surge Carries Israel to Back-to-Back Milestone
Bettan's second-place finish marks a highly significant, consecutive achievement for Israel, which secured the exact same runner-up position last year. Once again, the result was propelled overwhelmingly by ordinary viewers across the globe rather than the professional national juries.
While the international juries awarded Israel 123 points, including a top score of 12 points ("douze points") from Poland, the global public responded with a massive wave of support. The worldwide televote awarded Bettan 220 points, driving Israel straight to the top tier of the leaderboard.
President Isaac Herzog called Noam Bathan to congratulate him. "You moved us deeply and your performance was perfect," Herzog said. "Your composure on stage was exceptional, and you brought immense pride to Israel during these complex times". Yuval Rafael, last year's runner-up and co-writer of "Michelle," added, "Noam, you are amazing."
A Historic Night for Bulgaria and Solidarity
The evening marked a monumental breakthrough for Bulgaria, celebrating its historic maiden Eurovision victory after decades of participation.
The triumph was also warmly received by the Israeli delegation. Throughout the turbulent lead-up to the contest, which saw the political withdrawal of several nations from the final including Spain, the Bulgarian winner, DARA, consistently stood out for her courage. DARA publicly vocalized her support for Israel, openly opposing the aggressive campaigns by anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists who had fiercely lobbied to ban Israel from competing in this year's contest.
Eurovision analysts in Israel noted that this is the second consecutive year Israel won second place due to the public televote rather than the national juries. This proves that the global viewing audience rejects attempts to boycott or defame Israel with boos and jeers. Instead, the public chose to focus on artistic merit, giving real meaning to the official contest motto, "United by Music."