Italian media is speculating that the Junior Eurovision Song Contest is set to return to Rai Kids, having been on Rai’s main channels since 2022.
TV Italiana reports that the Junior Eurovision Song Contest is set to return to Rai Gulp, the children’s channel for Rai. The report comes after a press release from Rai regarding its content for Children failed to mention Rai 2 in this year’s schedule.
The release states that “Rai Gulp also strengthens its international presence by participating in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled to take place in Malta on October 24.” In the equivalent press release in 2025, Rai 2 which aired that years contest was explicitly name as the participating channel.
Rai Gulp was the home of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Italy between 2014 and 2021, with the contest receiving a limited audience. At its peak in 2014, 151,000 viewers watched the contest on Rai Gulp, while in 2021 an average of just 15,112 viewers watched the contest with a share of 0.1%. Interest in Junior Eurovision peaked in 2022 when 1.5 million viewers watched the contest on Rai 1, with 338,000 viewers following the contest on Rai 2 in 2025.
Details regarding Italy’s 2026 selection process have not yet been revealed. In previous editions, Rai has opted for an internal selection, choosing both the artist and song behind closed doors.
Leonardo Giovannangeli represented Italy at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Tbilisi, Georgia with “Rockstar”. Italy placed 12th, scoring 73 points, including 12 points from the jury in Azerbaijan.
Source: TV Italiana / Rai
Italy in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest+
Italy debuted in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2014. Their first and only win to date was on their debut when Vincenzo Cantiello came in 1st place with 159 points with his song “Tu primo grande amore”. Their worst result was in 2015 when twins Chiara & Martina came 16th with 34 points with their song “Viva”. Since their debut, Italy has participated in every contest except for 2020.