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Italy: Will Giorgia Make History Tonight at Sanremo 2025? | Everything We Saw in the Quarta Serata

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Sanremo 2025 concludes tonight with the grand final, where the winner will be crowned, and Italy’s representative for Eurovision will be determined. We mention these separately because, especially this year, the winner of Sanremo and Italy’s representative in Basel might not be the same person. Buckle up and get ready for a long and intense night!

What We Saw in the Quarta Serata

First of all, it seems almost certain that Carlo Conti will remain as the host and artistic director for next year. His version of Sanremo has crushed Amadeus’ in the ratings, and last night’s Quarta Serata was no exception.

The cover song night was watched by an average of 13,187,000 viewers, or 70.4% of all TV viewers. This marked a 2.6% increase from last year, with 1.3 million more viewers. The peak viewership moment occurred when Serena Brancale and Alessandra Amoroso performed their duet, drawing an incredible 17,494,000 viewers!

As for the results, Giorgia and Annalisa’s victory was widely considered fair, with social media filled with praise. One of the night’s surprises was Simone Cristicchi failing to make it into the top 10, while Lucio Corsi’s second-place finish and Fedez’s third place suggest that both are strong contenders for a top 5 finish in tonight’s final.

Of course, we can’t overlook Mahmood’s medley, performed on the very stage where his global career began. Although he wasn’t competing this year, something tells us he’ll be back very soon.

Who Will Win the Golden Lion?

Even though last night’s results don’t count towards the final outcome, they have shaken up the betting odds, as they indicate momentum and trends.

As a result, Giorgia has reclaimed the top spot in the betting rankings, with Simone Cristicchi dropping from first to third place! Olly is now in second place—despite failing to crack the journalists’ top five on the first night, he is now just behind Giorgia, thanks to his dominance in streaming numbers.

If Giorgia lives up to the predictions and wins at the Teatro Ariston tonight, she will make history—no female solo artist has won Sanremo two years in a row for 26 years. The last time this happened was in 1998 and 1999, when Annalisa Minetti and Anna Oxa claimed consecutive victories.

Carlo Conti’s decision not to reveal the full rankings each night, showing only the top five, seems to have paid off. As a result, no one truly knows who will win, and it’s difficult to predict even the final top five with certainty.

Will the Winner Accept the Eurovision 2025 Spot?

As we reported yesterday, this year’s Sanremo festival features a small but significant rule change regarding Italy’s Eurovision representative.

Since 2015, RAI has given the Sanremo winner the right to represent Italy at Eurovision. Previously, if the winner declined, RAI had the freedom to select any other contestant from the festival based on its own criteria.

This has changed. Under the new rules, RAI must respect the final rankings. If the winner refuses to go to Eurovision, the spot will be offered to the highest-ranked artist who accepts.

Given that both Giorgia and Simone Cristicchi are rumored to be hesitant about competing at Eurovision, the final rankings could be crucial in determining Italy’s representative in Basel.

All eyes are on the small Ligurian town and the Teatro Ariston tonight, as everything remains wide open.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates!

Italy: Changes in Sanremo 2025 rules regarding Eurovision representative

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A significant change in the regulations of the Sanremo Festival has been introduced this year, specifically concerning Italy’s representative for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Since 2015, RAI has granted the winner of the Sanremo Festival the privilege or right to represent Italy at Eurovision. Until now, the regulations stated that if the winner declined the opportunity to represent the country, RAI had the authority to select any other artist from the festival based on its own criteria.

This essentially meant that if the Sanremo winner refused to participate in Eurovision, RAI could choose any contestant it desired, without necessarily following the final ranking order of the festival.

However, this has changed this year. According to the new regulations, RAI is now required to respect the final ranking. If the winner declines the chance to compete in Eurovision, RAI must select the highest-ranked artist who is willing to represent Italy.

This rule modification is particularly significant this year, as the two major favorites for victory on Saturday, Simone Cristicchi and Giorgia, are both considered unlikely to accept the opportunity to represent Italy in Basel this May.

Cristicchi has stated that after the festival, he will return to his theater commitments, while Giorgia, in her previous participation in Sanremo in 2023, mentioned in interviews that she believes Eurovision is more suitable for younger artists.

Of course, nothing is certain, as both may change their minds and accept the challenge of representing Italy at Eurovision if they win Sanremo 2025.

All Sanremo 2025 contestants must submit a signed declaration before the final on Saturday, February 15, confirming that they accept the possibility of representing Italy at Eurovision if they win. This allows RAI to immediately determine whether the Sanremo winner will also be the country’s Eurovision representative.

The only time the Sanremo winners refused to participate in Eurovision was in 2016, when the band Stadio declined the opportunity. As a result, RAI selected Francesca Michielin, who had finished second in the festival. Michielin ultimately placed 16th in Stockholm, one of Italy’s worst Eurovision results.

Given all this, the final ranking—especially the top five placements—carries even greater significance this year, as both the winner and the runner-up might decline Eurovision participation. Saturday night promises to be long and filled with suspense!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates!