Entertainment · TV & Streaming · 6 hrs ago
X Factor 2026 live shows begin with 12 contestants and a public vote
X Factor 2026’s live-show phase begins in Assago, Italy, with the first programme airing on 22 October.
Twelve contestants will perform cover songs in two rounds, starting the competition’s next stage.
Presenter Giorgia has chosen two eliminated artists for a chance to return through the X Pass.
They will each perform a signature song, and viewers will decide the winner in a quick vote.
The returning artist will join the team left without a contestant after the two rounds.
Judges will decide which contestants leave after each round, with a tie among their votes triggering another voting stage called Tilt.
Singer Marco Mengoni is the first programme guest, and seven live shows are planned.
The season is due to end with a final on 3 December at the Unipol Forum in Assago.
X Factor 2026’s live shows are scheduled to begin on Thursday, October 22, with 12 official contestants competing.
The first show is set to air at 21:15 on Sky Uno and stream on Now from the Teatro Repower in Assago.
The contestants will perform cover songs in two rounds, with the least-voted acts sent to a judges’ vote.
Two contestants eliminated in the Last Call will compete for a return to the show through a public flash vote.
Marco Mengoni is the first guest, and the season’s final is scheduled for December 3 at the Unipol Forum in Assago.
- Who
- Twelve official contestants, plus two eliminated contestants competing for a place back in the show.
- What
- X Factor 2026’s live shows are scheduled to begin, with performances, judges’ decisions and a public vote.
- When
- Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 21:15.
- Where
- The X Factor Arena at Teatro Repower in Assago; the show is also set to air on Sky Uno and stream on Now.
- Why
- The contestants are competing for a place in the final, scheduled for December 3.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The show moves into its live phase with 12 official contestants and two eliminated contestants waiting for a chance to return.
The first live show is scheduled to air, with two cover-song rounds and a public flash vote for the X Pass contestants.
The least-voted contestants are set to face a judges’ vote; a tie among judges triggers Tilt.
The final is scheduled at the Unipol Forum in Assago.
- Official contestants
- 12
- Contestants seeking return
- 2 eliminated Last Call acts
- First show
- October 22, 2026, at 21:15
- First guest
- Marco Mengoni
- Final
- December 3 at the Unipol Forum, Assago
3 sources
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