Carrie Underwood’s 2026 ‘Sunday Night Football’ Opening: Watch

This year, Underwood played up the rock vibes of the anthem, which is based on Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ 1988 radio hit “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” That shouldn’t come as a surprise to Underwood fans: the singer has always been a rocker at heart. She’s covered hard rock songs by Motörhead and Skid Row at her concerts, opened for Guns N’ Roses, shared the stage more than once with Axl Rose, and just this month put her own spin on nu-metal staples by Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and Papa Roach during her set at Velocity Fest in Iowa.

For the 2026 Sunday Night Football opening video, Underwood was filmed performing in a small club, a vast stadium, and a recording studio. SNF’s creative director Tripp Dixon said this year’s theme was inspired by “Carrie’s deep, well-documented love of rock music.” That’s a point that Underwood herself reinforced. “This year’s show open welcomes Sunday Night Football into my ongoing rock star fever dream,” she said in a statement.

Sunday Night Football’s first game — and the first teams that Underwood shouted out in her weekly changing lyrics — was between NFC East rivals Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. Both teams featured in Rolling Stone’s 2026 NFL Preview, which asked artists from Michael Buble to Melissa Etheridge to preview their favorite team’s season.