On Friday, February 20, 2026, anticipation swept across the United Kingdom and Europe as the National Lottery’s EuroMillions draw dangled a staggering £113 million jackpot before hopeful players. For days leading up to the event, ticket holders imagined the possibilities: quitting their jobs, traveling the world, helping loved ones, or donating to cherished causes. But as the results came in, the tantalizing promise of overnight wealth slipped just out of reach—no one managed to claim the colossal top prize, setting the stage for an even more dramatic draw the following week.
According to Express, the EuroMillions numbers drawn on that fateful Friday were 13, 24, 28, 33, and 35, with Lucky Stars 5 and 9. The buzz was palpable right up until the 7:30pm ticket sales cutoff, with last-minute hopefuls rushing to secure their chance for just £2.50 per line. The draw itself took place at 8:30pm, as confirmed by The Mirror, while the Thunderball draw—another staple for UK lottery enthusiasts—preceded it at 8:00pm.
While the main EuroMillions jackpot eluded everyone, the night was far from a total loss. As Birmingham Mail reported, the UK Millionaire Maker raffle, included with every EuroMillions ticket, guaranteed that one lucky player would walk away with a life-changing £1 million. The winning Millionaire Maker code announced that evening was ZDTF34718, making at least one household in the UK a millionaire overnight, even as the super jackpot rolled over.
For those less familiar with the mechanics, EuroMillions is a twice-weekly draw—held every Tuesday and Friday—where players select five numbers from 1 to 50 and two Lucky Stars from 1 to 12. To bag the jackpot, all seven numbers must match. Even if you fall short of the grand prize, there are still substantial sums to be won: matching five numbers and one Lucky Star could net you £130,554.30, while five numbers alone bring in £13,561.20, according to Manchester Evening News.
Thunderball, another National Lottery favorite, offers a top prize of £500,000 for matching five numbers from 1 to 39 plus the Thunderball number (from 1 to 14). On February 20, the winning Thunderball numbers were 1, 3, 4, 8, and 11, with Thunderball number 3—a combination that, for some, would have meant a significant windfall.
Despite the feverish excitement and the dreams riding on each ticket, the main EuroMillions jackpot went unclaimed. As Daily Record noted, this only fueled further anticipation, with the next draw—scheduled for Tuesday—set to feature an even bigger estimated jackpot of £124 million. Such rollovers are rare but not unheard of, and they tend to whip up a frenzy among regular players and newcomers alike.
But what about the odds? Winning the EuroMillions jackpot is infamously difficult, requiring a perfect match of all five main numbers and both Lucky Stars. Yet, as National Lottery representatives often point out, the game’s structure ensures there are plenty of smaller prizes and at least one new millionaire created in the UK every draw via the Millionaire Maker raffle. The excitement is as much about the possibility of a life-changing win as it is about the spectacle of the draw itself.
For those who missed out on Friday, hope springs eternal. The National Lottery offers multiple ways to play throughout the week. Besides EuroMillions, there’s Lotto every Wednesday and Saturday, and Set For Life every Monday and Thursday. Thunderball itself is drawn four times a week, giving players frequent shots at substantial prizes. And, as WalesOnline pointed out, with ticket prices remaining at £2.50, it’s an accessible dream for millions.
Interestingly, the allure of such massive jackpots brings out a range of reactions from players. In a poll conducted by The Mirror, 76 percent of respondents said they would keep their win private, while only 4 percent would go public with their newfound fortune. Another 20 percent said they’d only tell close friends and family. The question of anonymity looms large for big winners—after all, sudden wealth can be as daunting as it is liberating.
For the statistically minded, The Mirror also shared insights from Allwyn, the company that operates EuroMillions. The most frequently drawn main numbers historically have been 23, 21, 19, 44, and 50, while the Lucky Stars 3 and 2 have appeared most often. Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future results, but it’s the kind of trivia that keeps pub conversations lively and hopeful players poring over their number choices.
The mechanics of play are straightforward, but the dreams are anything but. Each ticket is more than a slip of paper—it’s a passport to possibility. As ChronicleLive described, “If you won, the world would be your oyster.” For many, just participating in the draw is enough to spark a few hours of joyful speculation and what-if scenarios.
As the dust settled on February 20, one thing was clear: while the £113 million jackpot remained unclaimed, the excitement and hope it generated were very real. One UK player did become a millionaire thanks to the Millionaire Maker, and thousands more claimed smaller prizes in both EuroMillions and Thunderball. But the biggest prize of all—life-changing, headline-grabbing, and the stuff of dreams—rolled over, promising an even more dramatic showdown in the next draw.
With ticket sales for the next EuroMillions draw sure to surge and the jackpot swelling to an estimated £124 million, the nation’s lottery fever shows no sign of cooling. For those who play, and even those who only watch from the sidelines, the next chapter in this saga of chance and hope is just around the corner.