RAI has revealed the lineup for Sanremo 2026, Italy’s Eurovision pre-selection event, set to take place this February in Sanremo

After the legal dispute surrounding the festival’s production and its subsequent postponement, Italy’s national broadcaster RAI has officially announced today (Sunday) the artists who will participate in Italy’s Eurovision pre-selection event, the iconic Sanremo Music Festival. The festival will take place from February 24 to 28 in the city of Sanremo. Some of the names already hold a special place in the festival’s history – former participants and even previous Eurovision representatives – while others are fresh talents making their debut on Italy’s grandest musical stage.

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We’ve gathered all the essential information to help you navigate this exciting lineup:

Tommaso Paradiso (42) – This is his first participation in the festival. In the past, he was the lead singer of the indie-pop band Thegiornalisti.
Chiello (26) – Participated last year as a guest singer in the festival and performed with Rose Villain the song “Fiori rosa fiori di pesco” (Pink Flowers, Peach Blossoms). He was part of the hip-hop group FSK Satellite.
Serena Brancale (36) – Participated in the Sanremo Festival 2025 with her song “Anema e core” (Heart and Soul) and finished in 24th place.
Fulminacci (28) – Took part in the Sanremo Festival 2021 with his song “Santa Marinella” and finished in 16th place.
Ditonellapiaga (28) – Participated in the Sanremo Festival 2022 alongside Donatella Retore with the song “Chimica” (Chemistry), which finished in 19th place.
Fedez & Masini – Fedez (36) participated in the Sanremo Festival 2021 together with Francesca Micheilin with their song “Chiamami per nome” (Call Me by Name), and they finished in second place. Fedez returned to the festival in 2025 with his song “Battito” (Beat), finishing in fourth place. Masini (61) first participated in the Sanremo Festival in 1990, when he won the newcomers’ category with his song “Disperato” (Desperate). In 1991 he competed again and finished in third place with “Perché lo fai” (Why Do You Do This). After a long break, Masini returned to compete in Sanremo 2020 with his song “Il confronto” (The Comparison), finishing in seventh place.
Leo Gassman (27) – First competed in the Sanremo Festival in the newcomers’ category in 2020 and won it with his song “Vai bene così” (You’re Fine Like That). He returned to compete again in 2023 with the song “Terzo cuore” (Third Heart), finishing in 18th place.
Sayf (26) – Italian rapper of Tunisian descent who released his debut album this year.
Arisa (43) – First participated in the festival in 2009 in the newcomers’ category and won the Mia Martini Critics’ Award for her song “Sincerità” (Sincerity). She returned to the festival in 2012 and finished second with her song “La notte” (The Night). She also won the Sanremo Festival 2014 with her song “Controvento” (Against the Wind), but that year a committee chose another participant in the festival, Emma Marrone, to represent Italy at Eurovision.
Tredici Pietro (28) – Rapper and singer who is taking part in the festival for the first time.
Sal Da Vinci – Participated in the Sanremo Festival 2009 with the song “Non riesco a farti innamorare” (I Can’t Make You Fall in Love) and finished in seventh place.wikipedia
Samurai Jay (27) – Rapper who participated as a guest artist in the Sanremo Festival 2021.
Malika Ayane – Competed in the newcomers’ category in 2009, then in 2010 with the song “Ricomincio da qui” (I’ll Start Again from Here), in 2013 with the song “E se poi” (And If Then), which finished in fourth place, in 2015 with the song “Adesso e qui (nostalgico presente)” (Now and Here – Nostalgic Present), finishing in third place, and in 2021 with the song “Ti piaci così” (You Like Yourself Like That), which placed 15th.
Luche (44) – Rapper and music producer; this is his first participation in the festival.
Raf (66) – Represented Italy at Eurovision in 1987 together with Umberto Tozzi with the song “Gente di mare” (People of the Sea), which finished in third place and became a hit across the continent. Three years earlier he had already had an international hit, “Self Control“, which also achieved success in the cover version by American singer Laura Branigan. Raf competed at Sanremo four more times, most recently in 2015, but did not manage to repeat that success.wikipedia
Bambole di Pezza – All-female punk rock band whose name means “Rag Dolls.” The band has been active since the early 2000s and is also known for its involvement in issues related to gender equality and the fight against violence against women.eurovisionworld
Ermal Meta – Won together with Fabrizio Moro at Sanremo 2018, and the two represented Italy at Eurovision with the song “Non mi avete fatto niente” (You Haven’t Done Anything to Me), finishing in fifth place. He also competed in the festival in 2010 as part of the band La Fame di Camilla and returned to the contest in 2016 in the newcomers’ category. He competed in the main category in 2017 with the song “Vietato morire” (Forbidden to Die), finishing third, and returned again in 2021 with the song “Un milione di cose da dirti” (A Million Things to Tell You), which also finished in third place.
Nayt (31) – Italian rapper. Participating in the festival for the first time.eurovisionworld
Elettra Lamborghini – Competed at Sanremo 2020 with the song “Musica (e il resto scompare)” (Music (and the Rest Disappears)), which finished 21st.
Michele Bravi – Competed at Sanremo 2017 with the song “Il diario degli errori” (The Diary of Mistakes), finishing fourth, and in 2022 with the song “Inverno dei fiori” (Winter of Flowers), finishing in 10th place.
J-Ax – Italian rapper who competed at Sanremo 2023 as part of the act Articolo 31 with the song “Un bel viaggio” (A Nice Trip). The act finished in 16th place.
Enrico Nigiotti – Competed at Sanremo 2015 in the newcomers’ category with the song “Qualcosa da decidere” (Something to Decide). He later returned in the main category in 2019 with the song “Nonno Hollywood” (Grandpa Hollywood), finishing 10th, and in 2020 with the song “Baciami adesso” (Kiss Me Now), finishing 19th.
Maria Antonietta & Colombre – Maria Antonietta participated as a guest singer at Sanremo 2020. Colombre (43) is performing alongside Antonietta.
Francesco Renga – Competed at Sanremo 1991 in the newcomers’ category. He returned again in 2001 and 2002 and won first place at the festival in 2005 with the song “Angelo” (Angel). Francesco returned to the festival in 2009, 2012, and 2014.wikipedia
Mara Sattei – Competed at Sanremo 2023 with the song “Duemilaminuti” (2,000 Minutes), which finished 19th.
LDA & Aka 7even – LDA competed at Sanremo 2023 with the song “Se poi domani” (If Then Tomorrow), which finished 15th. Aka 7even competed at Sanremo 2022 with the song “Perfetta così” (Perfect Like This), which finished 13th.
Dargen D’Amico – Competed at Sanremo 2022 with the song “Dove si balla” (Where We Dance), which finished ninth, and at Sanremo 2024 with the song “Onda alta” (High Wave), which finished 20th.
Levante – Competed at Sanremo 2020 with the song “Tikibombom“, which finished 12th, and in 2023 with the song “Vivo” (To Live), which finished 23rd.
Eddie Brock (38) – Singer-songwriter from Rome. Participating in the festival for the first time.
Patty Pravo – Has competed ten times in the festival so far but has never won it. Her first participation was in 1970, when she finished fifth with the song “La spada nel cuore” (The Sword in the Heart), which became a hit and remains her highest placement at the festival to date.

Dates and Format of Festival Di Sanremo 2026

Like every year, the festival will span five nights, structured as follows:

First Night (Tuesday, February 24th, 2026):
24 artists will perform their competing songs. A jury composed of professional journalists from television and online media will vote. RAI will then announce, in random order, the top five entries receiving the highest scores.
Second Night (Wednesday, February 25th, 2026):
12 artists will perform. Voting will be split between the public (50%) and a radio jury (50%). The top five will be announced randomly.
Third Night (Thursday, February 26th, 2026):
The remaining 12 artists will perform. Voting will again be divided between the public (50%) and the radio jury (50%). The top five will be announced randomly.
Fourth Night (Friday, February 27th, 2026):
Contestants will perform cover versions of existing songs in Italian, English, or other languages. They may collaborate with guest performers. Voting will be divided between the public (34%), a professional jury of journalists (33%), and a radio jury (33%). Results from this night will not count toward the overall competition.
Fifth Night (Saturday, February 28th, 2026):
All 24 artists will perform again with their competing songs. The public vote will be added to the cumulative scores from previous nights to determine the five superfinalists. These five will then perform again, with the winner chosen based on votes from the public (34%), the journalists’ jury (33%) and the radio jury (33%). The performance with the highest score will be declared the winner of Sanremo 2026.

In addition to the main competition, the festival will feature the “Nuove Proposte” category for young artists. On the second and third nights, four emerging performers will showcase their songs. One artist from each night will advance to the final, where, on the fourth night, the winner will be chosen through a mixed vote of the public (34%), journalists (33%), and the radio jury (33%).

Italy at Eurovision 2025

“Volevo essere un duro” (in English: “I Wanted to Be Tough”) is the song performed by singer Lucio Corsi, which came second at the 75th edition of the Sanremo Festival. The song was written by the singer himself along with Tommaso Ottomano. This was the singer’s first-ever appearance at the festival. The song is performed in Italian. The song finished fifth in the grand final with 256 points.

Italy returns to the Eurovision Grand Final Top 5 after last year achieving “only” seventh place.

Eurovision 2026: This will be Italy’s 51st participation in Eurovision. Italy joined the contest in 1956, was one of the seven founding countries, and has won three times over the years. Italy’s most recent victory was at Eurovision 2021 with the song “Zitti e buoni” performed by the band Måneskin.