First report: Beloved singer Xannova Xan unexpectedly joins the long, fascinating list of artists trying to reach Eurovision via the “back door” after failing in their own country’s national final.
Exclusive: It has just been revealed that Xannova Xan has decided, in a surprising move, to join the ever-growing list of artists competing in San Marino’s pre-selection contest for the chance to represent the country at Eurovision 2026. This comes after her song, created together with Israeli songwriters Keren Peles and Tomer Biran, was disqualified due to a dispute and did not make the final lineup for the Greek national selection “Sing For Greece 2026”. At this stage, it remains unclear whether the song submitted to the San Marino competition is the same one written by Keren Peles.
In recent years, a fascinating trend has emerged: many artists who fail to win their national finals refuse to give up and instead try their luck through San Marino’s “San Marino Song Contest” (formerly Una Voce per San Marino). This year’s developing list of participants already includes numerous international names who have previously competed in their home countries’ contests and now see San Marino as another — sometimes last — gateway to the grand European stage.
As mentioned this morning, Xannova Xan has officially decided to join the lengthy list of artists vying for the right to represent San Marino in the highly anticipated competition. Will Xannova Xan succeed in making it to the Eurovision stage? The answer will arrive after the San Marino national final scheduled for Friday, March 6th.
Other familiar Eurovision hopefuls who did not manage to represent their own countries see San Marino as a final opportunity to reach Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna, Austria. Who are these other artists?
From Albanian Setback to San Marino Audition:
The clearest and most recent example this year is the Albanian singer Sheila, who continues her journey towards the Eurovision stage and refuses to let a single result stop her. Just a week ago, Sheila competed in Albania’s national final (64 Festivali i Këngës) with the song “Zemra e Tokës”. In the Albanian selection, Sheila was considered one of the leading favourites, and her song received substantial acclaim, reflected in a second-place finish with the jury. However, viewers were less generous (only seventh place), and the victory eventually went to Alis with his song “Nân”.
Now, Sheila is not backing down. She has registered for the San Marino auditions, which will take place on 29 January, most likely with the same song, hoping that in front of an international audience and a different panel, she will be able to fulfil her potential and overturn the fresh disappointment.
But Sheila is far from alone. Alongside her, several other recognisable artists appear on the audition registration list, all choosing to pursue San Marino’s “second chance” route:
Not Just Sheila: Full Expanding Waiting List
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Elysa: A popular Estonian pop singer who has attempted to represent Estonia through its national final: Eesti Laul several times (2015, 2022, 2023 and even 2025), and is now looking for a new path to realise her dream after her song was not accepted to the 2026 Estonian selection.
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Los Meconios: A Spanish group with a humorous style, whose members recently revealed that they failed to secure a spot at Benidorm Fest last year and are now trying their luck in San Marino.
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Zeleno: A band that was recently eliminated at the audition stage of Moldova’s 2026 national selection and also tried to enter the Ukrainian selection, but faced disappointment there as well.
Proven pathway: Spanish Precedent and Albanian Connections
Choosing San Marino is far from random, and this route has already proved successful. The small country has become a favoured destination for artists who have accumulated both experience and disappointment elsewhere. The most notable case is the Spanish band Megara, which, after failing in the Spanish national final in 2023, did not give up, went on to win San Marino’s selection in 2024 and reached the Eurovision stage in Malmö. Another high-profile example is Italian star Achille Lauro, who took part in the prestigious Festival di Sanremo, then immediately after the 2022 edition, packed his bags, entered the San Marino selection and won a ticket to Eurovision through the microstate.
The connection between Albania and San Marino is particularly strong, as several Albanian artists have turned to San Marino after setbacks under their own flag. For instance, Ronela Hajati, who represented Albania at Eurovision 2022 but failed to qualify for the grand final, tried her luck in San Marino’s selection the following year in search of a different outcome. Besa, Albania’s representative at Eurovision 2024, was also linked to San Marino’s national selection as part of an attempt to return to the big stage. Now, Sheila is joining this informal tradition and hopes to be the one to turn the story into a triumph.
San Marino’s Winning Format Returns:
San Marino’s national broadcaster (SMRTV) has decided not to change a winning formula: following last year’s success and qualification to the Eurovision grand final, the San Marino Song Contest format will remain in place this season as well. The grand final will be held on 6 March at Teatro Nuovo in the city of Dogana. The mechanism combines new and established names: dozens of artists will compete in the semi-finals within the “Dreaming San Marino” track, from which ten will qualify for the final. In the final, they will be joined by ten “Big Artists” who receive a direct pass to the last stage. In addition, to build momentum, the national broadcaster has launched the show “Pop Road to Eurovision”, hosted by former Sammarinese representative Senhit, who will guide the journey towards Eurovision 2026 and welcome past Eurovision stars.
“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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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
