VIENNA – The 70th Eurovision Song Contest, held 12, 14 and 16 May at the Wiener Stadthalle, will be remembered less for sequins than for subtraction. Thirty-five broadcasters took part, the smallest field since 2003, after Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain withdrew in protest at Israel’s participation amid the Gaza war. The EBU called it an artistic decision by members; critics called it the largest boycott since 1970.

History still marched on. Austria staged for the third time, following JJ’s 2025 win with “Wasted Love”. Presenters Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski kept the show tight, while the voting system stayed classic: two sets of points per country plus the aggregated Rest of World vote.

The novelty was Bulgaria. Returning after a three-year absence, Sofia sent pop star Dara with “Bangaranga”. Co-written with Anne Judith Wik, Cristian Tarcea and Dimitris Kontopoulos, the track blended Balkan brass with hyperpop and won both juries and public – the first double since Portugal’s Salvador Sobral in 2017. It is Bulgaria’s first Eurovision victory ever.

Final ranking told a new map: 1 Bulgaria, 2 Israel with Noam Bettan’s “Michelle”, 3 Romania, 4 Australia’s Delta Goodrem with “Eclipse”, 5 Italy’s Sal Da Vinci. Romania matched its 2005 and 2010 peaks but with record points. Luxembourg failed to qualify for the first time, leaving Ukraine as the sole ever-present finalist since semis began.

Gossip turned political. Backstage, delegations traded barbs over flag rules, while fans noted the irony: Israel finished second in a year defined by protests against its presence. On X, commentators praised Dara’s vocal control and questioned whether a reduced contest is still representative.

The outcome matters beyond music. A Bulgarian win points the 2027 contest toward Sofia, a first-time host with tight budgets and big ambitions. For the EBU, Vienna 2026 proved the show can survive a boycott, but not without scars. 

Photo Credits: Derived from “Bulgaria – Dara – Eurovision Song Contest 2026” by Tobias Kleinlercher / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Modified by the editorial team