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Key Points
Mariah Carey will headline the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
She'll be joined by Italian icons like Andrea Bocelli, Lauren Pausini, Ghali, and more.
The 2026 Winter Games officially begin on Friday, Feb. 6.
With the help of Mariah Carey, the 2026Winter Olympicsopening ceremony will be a sweet, sweet fantasy.
Set for Friday, Feb. 6, the celebration will unfold primarily at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. As always, the event will feature the Parade of Nations, as well as the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. This year, the torchbearers will includeConnor Storrie and Hudson Williams, stars of the hit seriesHeated Rivalry.
But that's not all. Carey will perform alongside several Italian music luminaries. Here's a look at the full lineup of performers confirmed for the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
Mariah Carey
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Some names speak for themselves, andMariah Careyis one of them. Long regarded as one of the most powerful voices in modern pop, she'll be adding another legendary moment to her decades-long career by performing at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Afive-time Grammy winnerand one of the best-selling artists of all time, Carey's legacy includes chart-topping hits like "We Belong Together" and "Always Be My Baby." Her holiday catalog has earned her the title of "Queen of Christmas."
This isn't her first brush with the Olympics. Her uplifting track "100%" was a go-to song for Team USA during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and even helped raise funds for the team.
Creative director Marco Balich said the "All I Want For Christmas Is You" singer willsing in Italianat this year's ceremony. The goal, he explained, is to create a moment to bring everyone in the stadium together. "The entire stadium will be singing along," he said.
Andrea Bocelli
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Italian tenorAndrea Bocelliis currently on a world tour, but he's returning to the Winter Olympics 20 years after performing at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Turin Games. He's also no stranger to Milan's San Siro, where he sang ahead of the 2016 UEFA Champions League final.
Bocelli has sold over 90 million albums worldwide, including his No. 1 releaseSì(2018) and his most recent compilation,Duets(2024). The record features collaborations with big names likeCéline Dion, Ariana Grande, Kenny G, and Chris Stapleton.
Throughout his career, Bocelli has earned five Grammy nominations and six Latin Grammy nods. In 2010, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Laura Pausini
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Since the early 1990s, Laura Pausini has released 15 acclaimed studio albums and achieved international success with singles like "La solitudine" and "In assenza di te."
Her accolades include four Latin Grammys, a Golden Globe, and a Best Original Song nomination at the 2021 Academy Awards for "Io Sì" fromThe Life Ahead.
Pausini served as a coach on international versions ofThe VoiceandThe X Factor, and also served as a cohost of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.
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Ghali
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Milan-born rapper Ghali first gained attention with his 2016 single "Ninna nanna," and his debut album, released the following year, peaked at No. 2 on the Italian Albums Chart. It's since gone quadruple platinum in Italy.
He went on to release three more studio albums, all of which have topped the Italian charts, and collaborate with global superstars like Travis Scott, Ed Sheeran, and Stormzy.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Ghali will take the stage at the opening ceremony. Blending Milanese slang with French and Arabic, his rhymes should bring a fresh energy to the event.
Lang Lang
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Lang Lang is a piano prodigy who's been captivating audiences since he gave his first recital at just five years old. The Chinese artist has nine studio albums under his belt, as well as numerous live recordings and soundtracks.
He's shared the stage with some of the world's most popular orchestras and artists, including Metallica and Pharrell Williams. AsEntertainment Weeklyonce put it, Lang is "as close to a popular crossover star as serious classical music is likely to get going forward."
Performing at the Olympics is familiar territory for Lang. He previously played at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Games,telling Reutersat the time that it was a massive honor "to represent a new generation of Chinese people to the world."
Lang has also carried the Olympic torch on multiple occasions, including in Beijing 2008, London 2012. and Paris 2024.
Cecilia Bartoli
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Cecilia Bartoli is a force on any stage, turning every performance into a spectacle with her bold voice and operatic flair. She'll join longtime collaborator Lang Lang at the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
Bartoli is the recipient of five Grammys and numerous other honors, including several Echo Klassik and Brit Awards. Since 2023, she has served as artistic director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, becoming the first woman ever to hold the post.
The official Instagram account for this year's Winter Olympics called Bartoli "the very essence of the great Italian operatic heritage, an artist capable of transforming every performance into a profound and shared experience," adding that her "intense and instantly recognizable voice will mark one of the evening's most evocative moments, where music becomes memory, identity, and a shared vision."
When are the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The 2026 Winter Olympics begin on Friday, Feb. 6, and run through Feb. 22.
The opening ceremony will take place on Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. ET, and you can watch it (along with all Olympic events) on NBC or stream live onPeacock.
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