As it happened: Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Malta comes 18th after a disappointing public vote
Bulgarian singer Dara won Saturday's 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, beating 24 other countries to take the crown of the world's biggest live televised music show.
Dara, who was declared the winner early Sunday, was not among the favourites ahead of the show but gained traction during Eurovision week with her high-energy and highly choreographed dancing on the catchy floor-filler "Bangaranga". She garnered 516 points.
Israel finished in second place with 343 points.
Malta’s Aidan placed 18th overall with a total of 89 points. After the jury vote he ranked 11th with 81 points but only received 8 points from the audience.
In front of a capacity audience of over 11,000 fans in the Wiener Stadthalle, countries from across Europe plus Australia wowed, strutted, sang their hearts out, raised the roof and (literally) set the stage on fire.
Just before the final, Prime Minister Robert Abela, his wife Lydia and daughter Giorgia called Aidan to wish him luck.
This is how the evening unfolded.
Live blog
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
1:00am - After a nailbiting finale, Bulgaria has won Eurovision with a total of 516 points, putting them just below Maneskin in the all-time points tally for competition winners.
Oh dear
12:52 Malta receives a measly eight points -the same as Miriana Conte last year - from the public vote. Oh well.
Jury results done
12:43am That's the jury votes done. Malta is currently 11th, but things could change a lot aftere the public vote.
Having said that, Austria was already top of the pack before the public vote last year.
12 points go to our beautiful neigbours
12:24am I think it's shocking that neither political party has proposed building an artificial island, populating it, supporting its entry into the EBU and therefore the Eurovision, and guaranteeing 12 points for us every time.
Or they could push for the independence of Gozo, with the same end goal.
So much for that Australia tour
12:14am Well, that's disappointing. Not a single point from Australia.
And another 12, and another
12:14am Another 12 points from Eastern Europe, this time from Bulgaria, which means more Cyrillic: благодаря ви!And just in, another 12 from San Marino.
Malta gets its first 12 points
12:10am Malta gets its first 12 points of the evening from Ukraine. дякую!
Voting is now closed
11:59 As we reach the stroke of midnight, voting is now closed.
Coming up soon, my least favourite part of the evening: the interminable reading out of votes.
Aidan gets a Prime Ministerial phone call
11:56 - Earlier, Robert Abela took time out to have a video call with Aidan.
A reminder about the voting rules
11:48 In tonight’s final, the voting is split between professional juries and the public, with each country awarding separate sets of points - while viewers can cast up to 10 votes per payment method.
It used to be 20 votes, but the rules had to be changed because of a certain country accused of various war crimes...
The odds say Malta will place...
11:39 According to Eurovision World, at the time of writing, which is twenty minutes to midnight, on Saturday, OK I'll stop teasing, Malta will place 11th. But what do bookmakers know anyway?
Finland is the favourite, by the way.
Miriana Conte makes an appearance
10:33 - Mirana Conte, Malta's singer last year, makes an appearance during a medley of old Eurovision songs performed by previous participants. Miriana sang a line from Germany's 1979 entry Dschinghis Khan, before performing a brief duet with legendary Ukrainian singer Ruslana, of Wild Dances fame.
Miriana Conte before her cameo appearance tonight.Should we copy Moldova?
11:26 Maybe if Aidan doesn't win (SACRILEGE, I know), maybe we should take a leaf out of Moldova's book and send a blatantly self-promotional song. Get Ian Borg on the phone.
Songs done, now the vote counting begins
11:23 We've now heard all 25 songs. Which was your favourite? Where do you think Aidan will place? I quite liked Denmark's actually.
Austria: COSMÓ - Tanzschein
11:20 And finally the host country, Austria. I think this is the only song with an identifiable dance routine. Think the Macarena, but more robotic. In fact, COSMÓ and his band are another act that have decided to wear metal. If they’re not careful, Donald Trump is going to threaten to invade them in search of rare earths.
Austrian singer Benjamin Gedeon, aka Cosmo, representing Austria with the song 'Tanzschein'. Photo: AFPRomania: Alexandra Căpitănescu - Choke Me
11:15 Last year there was criticism from some quarters that the 2025 contest was too sexually charged, not least our very own Miriana Conte. Aside from a couple of mildly provocative costumes, this edition has been pretty tame, and that includes Romania’s entry, Choke Me, which couldn’t possibly have any sexual undertones at all, no sir.
Norway: JONAS LOVV - YA YA YA
11:10 Next up with is Norway’s JONAS LOVY (please guys, turn off caps lock) with a noughties-style rock anthem with whiffs of The White Stripes and The Hives.
Norwegian singer Jonas Lovv, representing Norway with the song 'Ya Ya Ya'. Photo: AFPItaly: Sal Da Vinci - Per Sempre Sì
11:03 Just like last year, Italy turn back the clock with a disco track that wouldn’t be out of place in the 70s.
Fun fact: Da Vinci was born in New York while his father, Neapolitan singer-actor Mario Da Vinci, was on tour. At age 57, he's also the oldest performer in the competition.
Italian singer Sal Da Vinci, representing Italy with the song 'Per Sempre Si'. Photo: AFPCyprus: Antigoni - JALLA
10:57 A friend described Antigone as 'Souvlaki Shakira', and I have nothing more to add.
Cypriot singer Antigoni Buxton, aka Antigoni and representing Cyprus with the song 'Jalla'. Photo: AFPSweden: FELICIA - My System
10:55pm Sweden’s FELICIA (what is it with all the uppercase names this year?) is wearing a sparkly face mask. Does she know we aren’t in a pandemic anymore? Maybe she was on a cruise ship in the Canary Islands recently.
Lithuania: Lion Ceccah - Sólo Quiero Más
10:50 This feels like the artsiest entry so far, and with good reason. Tin Man impersonator Lion is also a stage artist, drag-culture advocate and musical-theatre performer, and studied violin, ballroom and street dance. You can’t get artsier than that.
Lithuanian singer Lion Ceccah, representing Lithuania with the song 'Solo Quiero Mas'. Photo: AFPPoland: ALICJA - Pray
10:46 And here’s Poland’s ALICJA, singing a spiritual-pop song while wearing a metal corset fashioned from kitchen utensils. Fun fact: ALICJA won Poland’s Eurovision selection in 2020 with “Empires”, but that contest was cancelled because of COVID-19.
Finland: Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen - Liekinheitin
Given that the male singer is called Pete Parkkonen, I’ve very disappointed he isn't shooting spider webs out of his hands and swinging across the arena.
Instead, Linda Lampenius (which has to be a made-up name) is vigorously playing the violin as Pete sturggles to escape the confines of his cage. If he’d been bitten by a radioactive spider, he’d have been able to get out of there in no time.
Linda Finnish singers Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, representing Finland with the song 'Liekinheitin'. Photo: AFPMoldova: Satoshi - Viva, Moldova!
10:36 There’s always one song that’s basically an unhinged tourism advert for its country of origin. Anyway, for some reason I have a strong urge to book a holiday to Chișinău.
Moldovan singer Vlad Sabajuc, aka Satoshi, representing Moldova with the song 'Viva, Moldova!'. Photo: AFPFrance: Monroe - Regarde!
After... whatever that was... France's Monroe delivers a great vocal performance. I’m told she's only 17 too.
Monroe Vata Rigby, aka Monroe and representing France with the song 'Regarde !' Photo: AFPUK: LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER - Eins, Zwei, Drei
10:24pm Me: I wish more of the entrants this year were quirky and weird.
Me after watching the UK’s entry: you know what – I'm OK with the earnest songs.
This guy looks like someone who would come to Malta on a lads' holiday and get filmed drunkenly urinating on someone’s doorstep in Swieqi.
If I were a betting man, I'd put my entire salary for May on this getting zero points.
Croatia: LELEK - Andromeda
10:19pm Last year, it was Lithuania’s entrants who looked like they’d lure me into a forest before painting pagan symbols onto me and sacrificing me to an elder god. This year, that honour has fallen to Croatia.
How does she do that? Croatia's Lelek performing during the Eurovision Final. Photo: AFPBulgaria: DARA - Bangaranga
10:14pm One of this edition’s more bonkers entries in a sea of earnest songs about mums. Bangaranga has been described as a high-energy song about nightlife, rebellion, lights, chaos and refusing to slow down.
Darina Nikolaeva Yotova, aka Dara, representing Bulgaria with the song 'Bangaranga'. Photo: AFPCzechia: Daniel Zizka - CROSSROADS
22:10 I think this is the first singer whose voice I’ve been genuinely impressed by, which isn’t surprising given his day job is a vocal coach. Apparently he did study musical theatre though, so minus points for that in my books, I’m afraid.
Czech singer Daniel Zizka, representing Czech Republic with the song 'Crossroads'. Photo: AFPMalta: Aidan - Bella
22:06 I'm going to be honest - I wasn't really a fan of the recorded version of Bella. But at the end of the day Aidan is Malta's best pop star and delivered a solid performance.
Aidan representing Malta with his song "Bella". Photo: AFPSerbia: LAVINA - Kraj Mene
Up next, more intense Balkan people. I probably would’ve loved this song’s heavy metal riffs back in my teenage, Coconut Grove-going years, and I definitely would’ve found the singer's sword mic-stand cool as hell. Now I'm like, “calm down, stop screaming and maybe consider therapy?”
Serbian singers of metal band Lavina, representing Serbia with the song 'Kraj Mene' . Photo: AFPAustralia: Delta Goodrem - Eclipse
9:55pm I had never heard of Delta Goodrem up until today, but apparently she’s one of the biggest names in the competition. She starred in soap opera Neighbours, coached on The Voice Australia, and has sold millions of albums. So sort of like a Temu Kylie Minogue, then? Don’t tell her I said that about her.
I'm also told she got married in Malta. I wonder which minister attended.
Australian singer Delta Goodrem, representing Australia with the song 'Eclipse'. Photo: AFPUkraine: LELÉKA - Ridnym
21:48 And in fact, Ukraine’s LELÉKA is also singing about roots, kinship and survival. To be fair, if there’s one country that has a right to sing about survival, it’s Ukraine.
Ukrainian singer Victoria Leleka, aka Leleka, representing Ukraine with the song 'Ridnym'. Photo: AFPGreece: Akylas - Ferto
21:43 From a poignant song about motherhood, immigration and identity, we now turn to... I’m not sure what this is – I think I’m too millennial to understand what’s going on. It feels like it was designed specifically for TikTok.
Oh, he’s singing about his mum and his roots too now, I think. That seems to be a recurring theme tonight.
Greek singer Akylas Mytilinaios, aka Akylas, representing Greece with the song 'Ferto'. Photo: AFPAlbania: Alis - Nân
21:39 Here’s Albania with our first Eastern European entry of the night, and boy is it Eastern European: an emotional slap in the face, complete with subtitles so that us non-Albanians can fully take in the emotion of it all.
Albanian singer Alis Kallaci, aka Alis, representing Albania with the song 'Nan'. Photo: AFPBelgium: ESSYLA - Dancing on the Ice
21:34 From fire, we now move to ice, with Belgium’s ASSYLA. Somewhat embarrassingly, she’s come out onstage with mismatching footwear, wearing one knee-high boot and one ankle-high boot. I am a fashion expert and that’s definitely what those two items of clothing are called.
“Keep dancing on the ice,” she sings, seemingly oblivious to how terrible that advice is.
Belgian singer Alice Van Eesbeeck, aka Essyla, representing Belgium with the song 'Dancing on the Ice'. Photo: AFPIsrael: Noam Bettan - Michelle
21:28 Would you believe it? Just like last year, I need to go for a quick toilet break. I really need to start going before the show starts.
Be right back.
Germany: Sarah Engels - Fire
21:27 Next up is Sarah Engels for Germany. Any relation to the famous philosopher and socialist, I wonder?
I feel like this is the kind of entry – with its leotard-clad women, fiery lyrics, and, well, actual fire – that you’d normally see from Spain, which, incidentally, was the first country to announce a boycott this year.
German singer Sarah Engels (back), representing Germany with the song 'Fire'. Photo: AFPDenmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund - Før Vi Går Hjem
21:23 Is it just me or does Denmark’s singer look like Frankenstein’s monster form the recent Netflix film, played by Jacob Elordi? Anyway, he seems to think that singing in a falsetto is the new guaranteed way to win the Eurovision, after JJ's success last year. Will he be the only one tonight? I doubt it.
Meanwhile, the centrepiece of the stage this year is a big glass box. Let’s see how many entries use it in creative ways.
Danish singer Soeren Torpegaard Lund, representing Denmark with the song 'For Vi Gar Hjem'. Photo: AFPMeet the hosts
21:13 Our hosts at the Wiener Stadthalle tonight are Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowsk.
If you read ‘Swarovski’ and thought, “Aren’t those the guys that make crystals?” you’d be correct - she does in fact come from that family. She’s forged her own career path though, and is apparently a major TV personality in German-speaking Europe.
Her co-host, Michael Ostrowski, is the comic relief. He’s an actor, writer and director best known for his film and TV work, as well as hosting major cultural awards shows.
I’m sure they’ll both be hilarious and I won’t find their humour grating after just five minutes...
And we're off
21:05pm Last year's winner JJ kicks things off, accompanied by a full orchestra.
Competition overshadowed
8:52pm It's fair to say this year's edition is taking place under a political cloud, with the competition overshadowed by controversy over Israel’s participation during the war in Gaza and boycotts by Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia.
"We've left a mark" - Aidan
8:46pm Speaking before the contest, Aidan said he was confident he would place well.
"I'm very happy that Malta is in the finals I hope we get a positive result, but we've already left our mark," he said.
Guten Abend
8.40pm Good evening and welcome to the Times of Malta liveblog of the 70th edition of the Eurovison Song Contest, with me, renowned Eurovision expert Matt Bonanno.
This is my second time doing the live blog. My assistant Pupa (pictured) and I are ready to go, and will be providing incisive, witty commentary throughout the night. Well, I will be. She’ll mainly be looking cute.
Your live bloggers for the evening.