Carrie Underwood Takes a Rock Turn for the 2026 ‘Sunday Night Football’ Opener
Carrie Underwood is turning up the volume for the return of Sunday Night Football.
After 14 consecutive years of opening NBC’s marquee NFL broadcast, the country superstar is taking the show’s signature anthem further into rock territory. For the 2026 season opener, Underwood will perform a newly reworked version of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” the song that inspired the Sunday Night Football anthem.
The new show open will debut Sunday, Sept. 13, on NBC and Peacock, ahead of the Dallas Cowboys’ matchup with the New York Giants.
A more rock-driven sound
Underwood has become synonymous with the opening moments of Sunday Night Football since taking over the show’s opening performance in 2013. This year, however, the production puts her love of rock music much closer to the center.
“This year’s show open welcomes Sunday Night Football into my ongoing rock star fever dream,” Underwood said. “I love this new version of the track and, once again, Tripp and the incredible team behind the camera brought it to life in a whole new way that captures the spirit of this iconic song and the heart of rock & roll. It’s one of my most favorite opens yet.”
The new arrangement draws directly from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” connecting the original rock song with Underwood’s long-running Sunday Night Football theme.
From the studio to the stage
The 2026 production takes Underwood through three different settings: a recording studio, an intimate small music venue and a concert performance in a packed stadium.
For the intimate-venue portion of the shoot, Underwood performed an energetic set with her band as the audience rocked along. The staging gives the opening a concert feel while allowing the singer’s rock influences to take center stage.
The production continues a 14-year creative collaboration between Underwood and Tripp Dixon, who has served as creative director for every Sunday Night Football show open during her run.
Dixon said the 2026 concept was shaped by Underwood’s “deep, well-documented love of rock music,” which he described as a natural match for the anthem because its musical roots come from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ rock classic.
Bringing past and present together
According to Dixon, the creative team wanted the new opening to connect two eras of rock: the sound that gave the Sunday Night Football anthem its foundation and Underwood’s own modern take on the genre.
“We’ve worked to match these two rock frequencies of past and present as they come together in Carrie’s high-energy performance,” Dixon said. “The greatest players and teams in the NFL will take it from there.”
The result is another evolution of the Sunday Night Football opening, while keeping Underwood at the center of the presentation. The 2026 version moves between the intimacy of a recording session, the energy of a small venue and the scale of a full stadium performance.
The NFL season is already underway
The 2026 NFL season officially began Wednesday, Sept. 9, when the New England Patriots faced the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Kickoff Game.
Sunday Night Football begins its regular-season run Sunday, Sept. 13, with the Dallas Cowboys visiting the New York Giants. Coverage is scheduled for NBC and Peacock, with the new Underwood opening preceding the matchup.
For Underwood, the night marks the beginning of another season as the familiar face and voice welcoming viewers to NBC’s biggest weekly NFL broadcast. For 14 straight seasons, she has helped set the tone before the game begins. This year, she is doing it with a distinctly louder rock edge.