Israel booed at Eurovision final as Bulgaria wins competition

Israel booed at Eurovision final as Bulgaria wins competition Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Sun, 05/17/2026 - 09:36 Israel finished in second place in contest widely boycotted over Gaza genocide Winner Darina Nikolaeva Yotova, representing Bulgaria with the song Bangaranga, attends a press conference after winning the final of the Eurovision Song Contest at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, on 16 May 2026 (Georg Hochmuth/APA/AFP) Off Bulgaria won the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on Saturday, while Israel faced boos after finishing in second place. This year's final was among the least attended and least watched in the contest's history after five countries - Spain, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia - withdrew over Israel's participation. A boycott campaign also led many viewers to avoid the event.