San Marino’s national broadcaster SMRTV announced that the grand final of “San Marino Song Contest 2026” will take place on March 6, selecting the country’s entry for Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
SMRTV has officially announced another change in the schedule of its “San Marino Song Contest.” The grand final is now set for March 6, with two semi-finals planned for March 2 and March 3, respectively. Initially, reports claimed that the final would take place on March 1, additionaly about three weeks later, it was said to have been postponed to March 7.
The updated dates were revealed today during a press conference that reviewed San Marino’s Eurovision 2025 journey and presented new strategies for the country’s participation in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. During the conference, the general director of SMRTV discussed San Marino’s ongoing talks with the EBU, revealing that discussions are underway to strengthen cooperation between the two entities. He emphasized the importance of mutual respect and equality within the Eurovision framework, stating:
“We have started new and positive negotiations with the European Broadcasting Union so that San Marino receives the respect it deserves as a sovereign country competing in Eurovision under the same conditions as all other broadcasters and participating nations.”
San Marino Revives Its Successful Format
Following the great success of last year’s new format for the “San Marino Song Contest”, the structure will be retained for 2026. The competition will again consist of two semi-finals and a grand final. San Marino, notably, reached the Eurovision Grand Final for the first time since 2021. The “San Marino Song Contest” will be led by Roberto Sergio, the broadcaster’s CEO. The highlight of the selection process, the Grand Final, will be held on March 6th, 2026, at Teatro Nuovo in the city of Dogana. At the end of that evening, San Marino’s representative and song for Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria, will be announced.
Twenty artists will compete in each semi-final, all selected through the “Dreaming San Marino Song Contest” — a qualification process managed by Media Evolution. From these semi-finals, the best acts will advance to the Grand Final, which will feature ten emerging performers and ten experienced artists.
The artistic director, Massimo Bonelli, will return to his role, while Cristiano D’Alisera will direct the show. Marco Lucarelli will oversee photography, and Marco Calzavara will design the stage set. The event is produced in collaboration with Media Evolution srl and supported by the Secretariat of State for Tourism.
Beyond the National Selection
In addition to the national selection, SMRTV announced a new show titled “Pop Road to Eurovision”. The evolving series will be hosted by Senhit, who represented San Marino at Eurovision 2011 (did not qualify for the final) and again in 2021 (finishing 22nd).
The program will air throughout the lead-up to Eurovision 2026 and feature former participants and artists with connections to the contest. Recent social media activity suggests that filming has already taken place, featuring appearances by the band Megara, San Marino’s 2024 representatives, and Piqued Jacks, who represented the country in 2023.
Has San Marino Found the Winning Formula?
The revamped format of San Marino’s national selection underwent major improvements. Previously, the contest ran over five pre-recorded nights with jury-only voting. The new edition condensed the event into three live prime-time nights: two semi-finals and one grand final, all broadcast live. For the first time, viewers were also given a voice in deciding the results, choosing their favorite artists. This innovation transformed the contest into a spectacular television event that attracted major media attention across Europe and led to immediate success.
San Marino qualified in Eurovision 2025 for the Grand Final, first time in four years. Could this successful shift mark a new era for San Marino at Eurovision? Time will tell.
“San Marino Song Contest” Key Dates:
- Semi-final 1 – Monday, March 2nd, 2026.
- Semi-final 2 – Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026.
- Grand Final – Friday, March 6th, 2026.
San Marino at Eurovision 2025
“Tutta L’Italia” (in English: “All of Italy”) is the song that Gabry Ponte has performed to represent San Marino at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. He finished 10th in the semi-final and qualified with 46 points, for the fourth time ever for San Marino. In the final, Ponte came 26th and last with 27 points only.
Eurovision 2026: This will be San Marino’s 16th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. San Marino joined the competition in 2008 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2019 when the singer Serhat finished in 19th place with the song “Say Na Na Na”.
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A writer and content creator in the field of Eurovision, a commentator with extensive expertise in the modern era of the contest. Adiel’s vast knowledge and familiarity with Eurovision are reflected in every article, ensuring professional and up-to-date content. He closely follows song releases and various Eurovision pre-events. Adiel has a fondness for cultures and new languages, which he discovered through his love of Eurovision. In his writing, he places great emphasis on professional commentary and a diversity of opinions.
