After eight weeks of romance, recouplings, bombshells, betrayals and dramatic twists, Love Island 2026 has reached a conclusion, as Julia & Lorenzo were crowned winners. But before Maya Jama returned to the Villa for the live final this Monday (27 July), there was one final decision to be made.
Freshly dumped from the final after former islanders returned to the Villa for one last twist, Mica and Samraj were given the difficult task of eliminating one final pairing, leaving them with just three pairs to choose from.
The pair were visibly torn over their decision, knowing that whoever they chose would miss out on the chance to make it to the final – but they finally settled on Yasmin & Tommy.
Meanwhile, the remaining islanders gathered in the garden, seemingly unaware of the decision being made on their behalf. As their time in the Villa drew to a close, the reality that their Love Island journeys were almost over began to sink in.
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With just three couples remaining – Jasmine & Kavan, Angelista & Simba, and Julia & Lorenzo – the islanders were left waiting to discover who had won over the public.
Presenter Maya Jama returned to the Villa for the occasion, as the finalists prepared to find out whether their time on the show had earned them the nation’s vote. For the finalists, as well as former islanders, it marked the culmination of weeks spent navigating new relationships, steamy challenges, and the inevitable drama that comes with life in the Love Island Villa.
But after looking back on their time in Mallorca, it was time for the winners to be revealed. Angelista & Simba were the first to join Maya on stage to share their post-Love Island plans as they came in third place, while Jasmine & Kavan reached second place. Julia & Lorenzo were eventually announced as this year’s winning couple.
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Julia & Lorenzo’s connection was unexpected. After kicking off his journey with Jasmine, the hunk moved on to Yasmin to explore their romantic potential – but their romance was just as short-lived.
Once in Casa Amor, Lorenzo decided to bond with Julia, bringing her back to the main Villa as he hoped to still have a chance to explore his connection with Yasmin. However, his plan was thwarted as Yasmin had paired up with her own Casa Amor bombshell, Tommy.
Since then, Julia & Lorenzo remained inseparable, despite minor obstacles thrown their way. While Lorenzo valued his friendships in the Villa, Julia’s honesty affected her relationship with the rest of the girls – particularly Lola, due to her flirtatious behaviour with Sean, aka “Fitzy.”
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Viewers predicted the relationship would come to an end, but were ultimately pleasantly surprised when Julia and Lorenzo appeared to go the distance and many of them celebrated their victory over on social media.
The Love Island final was also a chance for Maya to catch up with previous islanders, from steady couple Lola & Sean, to freshly eliminated Priya & Aidan, whose connection failed to convince viewers.
Former bombshells Elicia and Ethan also revealed they were exploring their own bond, while Charleen and Tommy, who’d pursued Ellie and Namibia during his time in the Villa, admitted they’d shared a kiss off-screen.
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