Watch: Tonight at 20:40 CET, the Grand Final of “Festival Di Sanremo 2026”, selecting Italy’s entry for Eurovision 2026, in Vienna, Austria. Link to watch the live broadcast – Below!
Tonight, the grand final of the long‑running and much‑loved Festival Di Sanremo 2026 will take place, serving as Italy’s national selection process for Eurovision. The final follows four live shows held over the past week, and the winner will earn the right to become Italy’s entry for Eurovision 2026, in Vienna, Austria. The show, like all the other nights of the festival, will take place at the “Ariston” Theatre (Teatro Ariston), which has hosted the festival regularly since 1977 (with the exception of 1990, when it was held at the “Nuovo Mercato Dei Fiori” hall).
All 30 competing artists will perform their entries once again. Only the audience at home will vote during this round. The results from this evening’s audience votes will be combined with the scores from previous evenings to determine which five artists advance to the final round (Superfinal). In this final round, the top five songs will be performed again and judged by a combination of audience votes (34%), a professional jury composed of journalists (33%), and a professional jury of radio broadcasters (33%). The song receiving the highest number of votes will be declared the winner of “Festival Di Sanremo 2026”.
The grand final’s broadcast will begin at 20:40 and continue until 02:00 CET.
To watch the grand final of “Festival Di Sanremo 2026” – click here!
Who to Watch Tonight?
In a poll conducted on the site, you, the readers, decided that your preferred candidate to represent Italy at Eurovision 2026 is the singer Ditonellapiaga, who is competing at “Festival Di Sanremo” with the song “Che fastidio” (in English: “How Annoying”). The singer received approximately 48.65% of all readers’ votes. In second place, with 10.81% of the votes, came the singer Arisa with the song “Magica favola”. In third place finished the duo LDA & Aka 7even with the song “Poesie clandestine”, which obtained about 8.11% of the total votes.
The EuroMix editorial team, which listened to the songs, agreed with the readers’ choice. The site’s editorial team also ranked Ditonellapiaga in first place, by a huge margin over the other contestants – 110 points, compared with the band Bambole Di Pezza, which settled for 87 points in second place, two spots higher than its position in the readers’ poll. In third place, the editors ranked Arisa with 68 points, while you had placed her second. To see the full results of EuroMix editorial team, click here.
Betting Odds and Streaming platforms
According to Spotify streaming figures, the leading song is in fact “Male necessario” by Fedez & Marco Masini, with 1.88 million streams. In second place is Sayf with his song “Tu mi piaci tanto”, which has reached 1.79 million streams, and only in third place do we find the favorite of EuroMix readers and the editorial team, Ditonellapiaga, with around 1.75 million streams.
YouTube view counts tell a similar story: Fedez & Marco Masini lead with approximately 1,215,000 views, followed by Serena Brancale with around 1,142,000 views. In third place is Arisa with 1,058,000 views, while Ditonellapiaga is only in fourth place, with about 995,000 views.
According to betting sites, Fedez & Marco Masini currently have the highest chances of winning the festival, with a 26% probability of victory. Behind them, in second place, is Serena Brancale with a 20% chance of winning, followed in third place by Sal Da Vinci with an 18% chance of taking the title.
On the basis of these data, Fedez & Marco Masini with the song “Male necessario” appear to be the leading contenders to watch in the final. However, it also seems that Serena Brancale with the song “Qui con me”, or Ditonellapiaga with the song “Che fastidio”, could still win and surprise us in the competition.
Grand Final: Full Line-Up
- Ditonellapiaga – “Che fastidio“
- Michele Bravi – “Prima o poi“
- Sayf – “Tu mi piaci tanto“
- Mara Sattei – “Le cose che non sai di me“
- Dargen D’Amico – “AI AI“
- Arisa – “Magica favola“
- Luchè – “Labirinto“
- Tommaso Paradiso – “I romantici“
- Elettra Lamborghini – “Voilà“
- Patty Pravo – “Opera“
- Samurai Jay – “Ossessione“
- Raf – “Ora e per sempre“
- J-Ax – “Italia Starter Pack“
- Fulminacci – “Stupida sfortuna“
- Levante – “Sei tu“
- Fedez & Marco Masini – “Male necessario“
- Ermal Meta – “Stella stellina“
- Serena Brancale – “Qui con me“
- Nayt – “Prima che“
- Malika Ayane – “Animali notturni“
- Eddie Brock – “Avvoltoi“
- Sal Da Vinci – “Per sempre sì“
- Enrico Nigiotti – “Ogni volta che non so volare“
- Tredici Pietro – “Uomo che cade“
- Bambole di pezza – “Resta con me“
- Chiello – “Ti penso sempre“
- Maria Antonietta & Colombre – “La felicità e basta“
- Leo Gassmann – “Naturale“
- Francesco Renga – “Il meglio di me“
- LDA & Aka 7even – “Poesie clandestine“
Among the Contestants Are Many Familiar Names:
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- 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” (in English: “Pink Flowers, Peach Blossoms”). He was part of the hip-hop group FSK Satellite.
- Serena Brancale (36) – Participated “Festival Di Sanremo 2025” with her song “Anema e cuore” (in English: “Soul and Heart”) and finished in 24th place.
- Fulminacci (28) – Took part in “Festival Di Sanremo 2021” with his song “Santa Marinella” and finished in 16th place.
- Ditonellapiaga (28) – Participated in “Festival Di Sanremo 2022” alongside Donatella Retore with the song “Chimica” (in English: “Chemistry”), which finished in 19th place.
- Fedez & Marco Masini – Fedez (36) participated in “Festival Di Sanremo 2021” together with Francesca Micheilin with their song “Chiamami per nome” (in English: “Call Me by Name”), and they finished in second place. Fedez returned to the festival in 2025 with his song “Battito” (in English: “Beat”), finishing in fourth place. Masini (61) first participated in “Festival Di Sanremo 1990”, when he won the newcomers’ category with his song “Disperato” (in English: “Desperate”). In 1991 he competed again and finished in third place with the song “Perché lo fai” (in English: “Why Do You Do This”). After a long break, Masini returned to compete in “Festival Di Sanremo 2020” with his song “Il confronto” (in English: “The Comparison”), finishing in seventh place.
- Leo Gassman (27) – First competed in “Festival Di Sanremo” in the newcomers’ category in 2020 and won it with his song “Vai bene così” (in English: “You’re Fine Like That”). He returned to compete again in 2023 with the song “Terzo cuore” (in English: “Third Heart”), finishing in 18th place.
- Arisa (43) – First participated in “Festival Di Sanremo 2009” in the newcomers’ category and won the Mia Martini Critics’ Award for her song “Sincerità” (in English: “Sincerity”). She returned to”Festival Di Sanremo” in 2012 and finished second with her song “La notte” (in English: “The Night”). She also won “Festival Di Sanremo 2014” with her song “Controvento” (in English: “Against the Wind”), but that year a committee chose another participant in the festival, Emma Marrone, to represent Italy at Eurovision.
- Sal Da Vinci – Participated in “Festival Di Sanremo 2009” with the song “Non riesco a farti innamorare” (in English: “I Can’t Make You Fall in Love”) and finished in seventh place.
- Samurai Jay (27) – Rapper who participated as a guest artist in “Festival Di Sanremo 2021”.
- Malika Ayane – Competed in the newcomers’ category in 2009, then in 2010 with the song “Ricomincio da qui” (in English: “I’ll Start Again from Here”), in 2013 with the song “E se poi” (in English: “And If Then”), which finished in fourth place, in 2015 with the song “Adesso e qui (nostalgico presente)” (in English: “Now and Here – (Nostalgic Present)”), finishing in third place, and in 2021 with the song “Ti piaci così” (in English: “You Like Yourself Like That”), which placed 15th.
- Raf (66) – Represented Italy at Eurovision in 1987 together with Umberto Tozzi with the song “Gente di mare” (in English: “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.
- Bambole di Pezza – All-female punk rock band whose name means “Rag Dolls”. The band has been active since the early 2000s and competed in “Festival Di Sanremo 2025”. They’re also known for its involvement in issues related to gender equality and the fight against violence against women.
- Ermal Meta – Won together with Fabrizio Moro at “Festival Di Sanremo 2018”, and the two represented Italy at Eurovision with the song “Non mi avete fatto niente” (in English: “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” (in English: “Forbidden to Die”), finishing third, and returned again in 2021 with the song “Un milione di cose da dirti” (in English: “A Million Things to Tell You”), which also finished in third place.
- Elettra Lamborghini – Competed at “Festival Di Sanremo 2020” with the song “Musica (e il resto scompare)” (in English: “Music (and the Rest Disappears)”), which finished 21st.
- Michele Bravi – Competed at “Festival Di Sanremo 2017” with the song “Il diario degli errori” (in English: “Diary of Mistakes”), finishing fourth, and in 2022 with the song “Inverno dei fiori” (in English: “Winter of Flowers”), finishing in 10th place.
- J-Ax – Italian rapper who competed at “Festival Di Sanremo 2023” as part of the band Articolo 31 with the song “Un bel viaggio” (in English: “A Nice Trip”) and finished in 16th place.
- Enrico Nigiotti – Competed at “Festival Di Sanremo 2015” in the newcomers’ category with the song “Qualcosa da decidere” (in English: “Something to Decide”). He later returned in the main category in 2019 with the song “Nonno Hollywood” (in English: “Grandpa Hollywood”), finishing 10th, and in 2020 with the song “Baciami adesso” (in English: “Kiss Me Now”), finishing 19th.
- Maria Antonietta & Colombre – Maria Antonietta participated as a guest singer at “Festival Di Sanremo 2020”. Colombre (43) is performing alongside Antonietta for the first time in the festival.
- Francesco Renga – Competed at “Festival Di Sanremo 1991” in the newcomers’ category. He returned again in 2001 and 2002 and won first place at “Festival Di Sanremo 2005” with the song “Angelo” (in English: “Angel”). Francesco returned to “Festival Di Sanremo” in 2009, 2012, and 2014.
- Mara Sattei – Competed at “Festival Di Sanremo 2023” with the song “Duemilaminuti” (in English: “Two Thousand Minutes”), which finished 19th.
- LDA & Aka 7even – LDA competed at “Festival Di Sanremo 2023” with the song “Se poi domani” (in English: “If Then Tomorrow”), which finished 15th. Aka 7even competed at “Festival Di Sanremo 2022” with the song “Perfetta così” (in English: “Perfect Like This”), which finished 13th.
- Dargen D’Amico – Competed at “Festival Di Sanremo 2022” with the song “Dove si balla” (in English: “Where We Dance”), which finished ninth, and at “Festival Di Sanremo 2024” with the song “Onda alta” (in English: “High Wave”), which finished 20th.
- Levante – Competed at “Festival Di Sanremo 2020” with the song “Tikibombom“, which finished 12th, and in 2023 with the song “Vivo” (in English: “Alive”), which finished 23rd.
- Patty Pravo – Has competed ten times in the festival so far but has never won it. Her first participation was in “Festival Di Sanremo 1970”, when she finished fifth with the song “La spada nel cuore” (in English: “The Sword in the Heart”), which became a hit and remains her highest achievment at the festival to date.
What Will Happen in the Grand Final?
On the final evening, the festival’s grand finale, which will take place on tomorrow, February 28th, all 30 artists will perform their competing songs again. Only the audience at home will vote during this round. The results from this evening’s audience votes will be combined with the scores from previous evenings to determine which five artists advance to the final round (Superfinal). In this final round, the top five songs will be performed again and judged by a combination of audience votes (34%), a professional jury composed of journalists (33%), and a professional jury of radio broadcasters (33%). The song receiving the highest number of votes will be declared the winner of “Festival Di Sanremo 2026”.
Sanremo Winner Can Decline Eurovision 2026
While Europe eagerly awaits the announcement of tonight’s “Festival di Sanremo” champion, there is a crucial clause in the Italian rules: the winner of Sanremo is granted the first right of refusal to represent Italy at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, but they also retain the option to decline. If the winning entry decides to forgo the opportunity for personal reasons, touring commitments, or a strategic focus on the domestic market, the Italian broadcaster RAI reserves the right to pass the Eurovision ticket on to another artist from within the festival’s position line-up, usually the runner-up.
There is no need to look far for a dramatic precedent, as this is exactly what happened last year. In 2025, singer Olly won “Festival di Sanremo”, but shocked fans and the media when he announced that he was turning down the chance to go to Eurovision. Shortly afterwards, the opportunity was immediately transferred to the artist who had finished second in the voting, Lucio Corsi, who gladly accepted and went on to represent Italy in Basel with the song “Volevo essere un duro”.
For that reason, even once the confetti falls tonight on the Teatro Ariston stage and “Festival di Sanremo 2026” winner is crowned, fans will still need to wait for the traditional “morning after” press conference for an official confirmation. Only then will it be clear whether the winner is indeed packing their bags for Austria, or whether Eurovision 2026 will instead feature another artist from this year’s Sanremo line‑up.
“Festival Di Sanremo 2026”: Key Dates
First night – Tuesday, February 24th, 2026.Second night – Wednesday, February 25th, 2026.Third night – Thursday, February 26th, 2026.Fourth night – Friday, February 27th, 2026.- Grand final – Saturday, February 28th, 2026.
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.
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Roie is a journalist, content creator, and commentator specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. His extensive knowledge and in-depth familiarity with the Eurovision world are reflected in every article, ensuring reliable, professional, and up-to-date content.
