By Joshua Johnston
Julia Majchrzak and Lorenzo Alessi have been crowned the winners of Love Island 2026 after receiving the highest number of votes from the public during the live final.
The pair were announced as this year’s champions by host Maya Jama, taking home the £50,000 prize after weeks of navigating recouplings, dumpings, challenges and growing their relationship in the Mallorca villa.
Their victory brings the 13th season of the ITV dating show to a close and sees them become the latest couple to join the programme’s list of winners.
Jasmine Müller and Kavan Murphy finished as runners-up, while Angelista Gunda and Simbarashe “Simba” Kudyiwa secured third place.
The finalists had all spent weeks building relationships in the villa before viewers were given the opportunity to decide which couple should be crowned the winners, via a public voting system.
Throughout the series, Julia and Lorenzo’s relationship developed under the watchful eye of fellow Islanders and the viewing public.
The journey
After meeting in the infamous Love Island ‘casa amor’ in week five of the show, the pair established themselves as one of the strongest couples remaining in the villa, ultimately earning enough support from the public to claim the winning title.
Their win follows another eventful season filled with new arrivals, dramatic recouplings and emotional departures, all of which shaped the journey towards the final.
As with previous seasons, the public played a key role throughout the competition by voting for their favourite islanders to determine which couples progressed through the stages of the show.
The couple had their fair share of drama in the villa throughout the past few weeks, when Julia clashed with other contestants over their relationships.
The winning prize
The winning couple will split the £50,000 prize, with the show’s current format awarding the money equally rather than asking one contestant to decide whether to share or keep the cash, which was shown in previous seasons.
The change means both winners leave the villa with an equal share of the prize following the public vote.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: AMC confirms ‘Interview with the Vampire’ season 4 with new title ‘Queen of the Damned’
A return to normal life
The Monday, July 27 final marked the end of another summer in Mallorca, with the remaining couples reflecting on their experiences before the results were announced.
The live final also brought together the finalists for one last evening in the villa with islanders who had been ‘dumped’ in previous weeks.
For Julia and Lorenzo, their victory marks the beginning of a new chapter for the couple, as they continue their relationship away from the cameras.
Like winners before them, they now face the challenge of building on their relationship beyond the villa, while fans will be watching closely to see how the couple’s romance develops in the months ahead.
With another series complete, attention will soon turn to next year’s instalment of the programme and whether this year’s winning couple can enjoy lasting success after leaving the Love Island villa.
READ NEXT: Tyla announces A*POP world tour with major North American run and South African homecoming
Carmela Calling 
James Mario Ajero