Sanremo 2026 Can Yaman will co-host the first evening with Conti and Pausini

Three weeks before kick-off Sanremo Festival 2026live from the Ariston Theater from Tuesday 24 February to Saturday 28 February 2026, has been revealed the prime time co-host: will be the Turkish actor Can Yamaninterpreter of Sandokan in the Rai 1 series broadcast last December, to support Carlo Conti And Laura Pausini on the Ariston stage on February 24th, while the following evening will be Achille Lauro’s turn.

Sanremo 2026, Can Yaman co-host of the first evening

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Carlo Conti’s announcement this time did not arrive during Tg1, but with a post via social media in which, thanks to the help of artificial intelligence, the host and artistic director of the Festival showed himself in the role of the “Malaysian Tiger”, renamed Carlokan for the occasion.

The 64-year-old to his last experience at the helm of the Festivallimited himself to accompanying the sharing with a simple “Co-co”, but shortly afterwards it was the official Rai press release that dispelled the last remaining doubts: “The 36-year-old Can Yaman, an internationally renowned star, will take to the stage of the Ariston Theatre, in the role of co-host of the first evening, alongside Carlo Conti and Laura Pausini”.

The choice of Can Yaman it’s not random. The Turkish actor is increasingly on the crest of the wave, in Italy and beyond. The TV series Sandokan of which he was the absolute protagonist in the role of the hero born from the pen of Emilio Salgari, proved to be a great success, with the finale of the first season managed to conquer 4,116,000 spectators equal to a 25.4% share. The second season has already been confirmed, but in the meantime Can Yaman flew to Spain to film the series The labyrinth of the seafarers. At the beginning of 2025, however, the actor was the protagonist of the miniseries The Turkbroadcast in two prime time slots on Canale 5.

From success in Türkiye to career in Italy

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Born in 1989, Can Yaman was born and raised in Istanbul, where in 2014 he began to take his first steps in the world of acting, debuting in TV series such as Gönül İşleri And İnadına Aşk.

Success for him came in 2017 thanks to the role of Ferit Aslan in the series Bitter Sweet – Ingredients of love. From there his career never stopped and in 2021, after being elected man of the year 2019 by the periodical GQ, he landed in Italy, bonding for a few months with the presenter and face of DAZN Diletta Leotta. After starring in the TV series May God help us 6Yaman was among the protagonists of the Mediaset series Viola come il mare, alongside Francesca Chillemi.