Laura Pausini is taking center stage at the 2026 Winter Olympics!

The 51-year-old Italian Grammy-winning singer gave an emotional performance of the Italian national anthem “Il Canto degli Italiani” during the opening ceremony inside the historic San Siro Stadium on Friday night (February 6) in Milan, Italy.

Keep reading to find out more…If you didn’t know, the Italian national anthem was written by Goffredo Mameli in the 1800s, while Italy was under Austrian rule. It became the song of courage and rebellion and was later put to music by composer Michele Novaro.

Despite being loved by locals for 170 years, it wasn’t officially recognized as the national anthem until 2017 by the Senate of the Republic.

Check out the full list of performers who are being featured in the opening ceremony this year.

Click through the gallery inside for more photos of Laura Pausini performing during the Opening Ceremony…