Dara wins Eurovision 2026 for Bulgaria with “Bangaranga,” triggering an immediate host city battle between Sofia and Burgas for 2027.

Bulgarian history in Vienna! The singer Dara and her electrifying performance of the song “Bangaranga” conquered Europe, securing Bulgaria’s first-ever victory in the Eurovision Song Contest at its 70th edition. This historic win comes after 15 years of participation for the country in the European competition.

However, it appears that no one in Bulgaria is wasting a single minute on quiet celebrations. Immediately after the victory was announced, the opening shot was fired in the battle to host Eurovision 2027, with two major cities already declaring their intentions to produce the mega-event.

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Burgas Makes the First Move

The first to throw down the gauntlet was the mayor of Burgas, the popular coastal city well-known to international tourists, including those from Israel. The mayor, Dimitar Nikolov, rushed to publish a public post on Facebook officially demanding that his city host the competition next year. Burgas is expected to present Eurovision as a golden opportunity to boost international tourism in the city beyond its regular summer season.

Sofia Ready to Fight

But the capital city of Bulgaria has absolutely no intention of backing down. The mayor of Sofia, Vasil Terziev, was quick to respond to the declaration from Burgas, stating publicly and unequivocally: “We will fight for it, of course.”

Terziev emphasized that Sofia is the most prepared and ready among all Bulgarian cities to host an event of this magnitude. To support his claim, he mentioned the capital’s success in hosting previous international events, such as the famous “Giro d’Italia” cycling race, which included highly successful stages in the city. Terziev also addressed the infrastructure challenges of Sofia, promising that if the country grants Sofia the trust to host Eurovision, “the preparations will be at the highest level.”