- January 21, 2026
- 12:23 pm
- Israel
January 20, 2026 in Israel, one of the most anticipated television events of the season took place — the grand finale of the show “The Next Star for Eurovision 2026”. Live, after hours of intense voting, the winner was announced as Noam Betan. He earned the right to represent Israel at Eurovision 2026.
The finale was the culmination of a long and emotional season, which for months maintained high ratings and constantly trended on Israeli social media and search queries.
When and where the finale took place
The final episode aired on the evening of January 20, 2026 in a live broadcast on the channel Kan 11. It was one of those cases where the outcome of the show was truly decided “here and now” — viewers voted until the last minutes of the program.
Questions like “who will win”, “how is the voting going”, “who is leading in the finale” accompanied the broadcast from the beginning to the announcement of the results.
How the grand finale of “The Next Star 2026” unfolded
The finale was structured as a series of decisive performances by the strongest participants of the season. Each performance was evaluated on several parameters: vocals, stage presentation, emotional delivery, and potential for a large international stage.
Unlike earlier stages, the finale focused not only on technique but also on the artist’s ability to hold the attention of a wide audience — both Israeli and future European.
Why Noam Betan won
Noam Betan’s victory was not accidental. Throughout the season, he demonstrated stability and confidence, rarely delivering weak performances.
Key reasons for his victory:
consistent and recognizable vocals that work well live;
modern presentation without excessive theatricality;
the feeling of a “ready artist”, not just a talent show participant;
high viewer support specifically in the final voting.
In the decisive stage, he surpassed other strong finalists, including Gal de Paz, whom many experts and viewers called one of the main favorites of the season.
Voting: what viewers discussed
During and immediately after the broadcast, queries related to the finale trended:
who won “The Next Star”, how the votes were distributed, was there a difference between the jury’s opinion and the viewers’.
The feature of the 2026 finale was a noticeable advantage of viewer support. This became one of the arguments in favor of the legitimacy of the result: the winner was chosen not behind the scenes, but effectively “the hall voted”.
What this victory means for Israel
Winning “The Next Star” automatically makes Noam Betan the official representative of Israel at Eurovision 2026. This is not just a title, but the beginning of a new stage:
work on the contest song will begin soon;
a stage image will be formed for an international audience;
the project team will focus on making the performance look competitive against other countries.
After the show’s finale, the discussion quickly shifted from the result itself to the future: with which song Israel will go to the contest, in what language it will be performed, and what strategy the artist’s team will choose.
The outcome of the “The Next Star 2026” finale
Date: January 20, 2026
Event: grand finale of the show “The Next Star for Eurovision”
Winner: Noam Betan
Result: representative of Israel at Eurovision 2026
The season finale was loud, emotional, and truly audience-driven. And the name Noam Betan is now firmly established in the agenda — no longer as a talent show participant, but as an artist who will perform on one of the largest music stages in Europe.
