Fourteen seasons after Carrie Underwood first stepped into the opening spotlight for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, her entrance has changed dramatically. The singer has gone from a relatively simple performance built around the familiar “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” theme to increasingly elaborate productions that showcase her rock influences, performance style and even her drumming skills.
Now, in 2026, Underwood is back for her 14th consecutive season, and this time the show is leaning harder than ever into the rock ’n’ roll roots of the anthem.
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Carrie Underwood Takes Over ‘Sunday Night Football’
Underwood joined Sunday Night Football in 2013, taking over the role from fellow country star Faith Hill. Hill had performed the show’s anthem from 2007 through 2012, following Pink, who helped launch the concept in 2006.
For Underwood, the opportunity came after she had already become a household name by winning American Idol in 2005 and establishing herself as a touring country artist. Even so, performing the opening week after week meant stepping in front of one of the biggest television audiences of her career.
There was another challenge, too: she was following Faith Hill, who had become closely associated with the opening during her six-season run.
Underwood’s first version kept things relatively straightforward. She performed “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” the football-themed adaptation of Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” The performance reflected Underwood’s early stage style, with a simple entrance and a focus on her unmistakable vocals.
The song itself had already been part of Sunday Night Football before Underwood arrived. NBC introduced its rewritten version of Joan Jett’s song in 2006, with Pink performing it that season before Hill took over.
Underwood Puts Her Own Spin on the Opening
Although “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” became the familiar centerpiece of the show, Underwood and NBC didn’t stick with the same song every year.
In 2016, Underwood switched things up with “Oh, Sunday Night,” a football-themed reworking of “Somethin’ Bad,” her 2014 hit with Miranda Lambert. The new version was written with Chris DeStefano, Brett James and Priscilla Renea and brought a different energy to the opening.
That version remained in place for two seasons. Then, in 2018, Underwood moved to “Game On,” an original song she co-wrote.
The experiment was short-lived. “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” returned in 2019, restoring the familiar connection between Underwood, the NFL and Joan Jett’s rock anthem. That year, Jett herself joined Underwood in the opening sequence as part of a special celebration of the NFL’s 100th season.
From a Simple Stage to Bigger Productions
Over the years, the opening has become much more elaborate, while Underwood has continued to find new ways to make the performance her own.
By 2021, the production incorporated digital technology, a virtual tailgate party and fan-submitted video, with Underwood performing alongside imagery of NFL players. The basic arrangement of the song remained familiar, but the visual presentation continued to evolve.
The process behind the opening also became increasingly involved. Underwood has explained that the production begins with the basic arrangement, followed by filming her performance. The NFL separately gathers footage of players, teams and locations for individual matchups, after which Underwood returns to the studio to record the various combinations needed for the weekly broadcasts.
That annual reinvention has helped keep the opening recognizable without making it feel exactly the same from one season to the next.
When Underwood reached her 10th season in 2022, she marked the milestone by looking back at footage from her previous openings. By then, the role had become a long-running part of her career and a familiar part of the NFL’s weekly television routine.
The 2023 Opening Shows Another Side of Carrie
In 2023, Underwood added another memorable twist to the performance.
Near the end of the opening, she sat behind a drum kit and delivered a drum solo. The moment stood out because it showcased a musical skill that viewers don’t typically associate with the Sunday Night Football performance.
Her rhythm wasn’t simply for show. Underwood had also played drums during her recent tour, making the surprise performance a natural extension of her abilities as a live musician.
The 2023 opener debuted on Sept. 10 before the Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants game at MetLife Stadium, continuing Underwood’s tradition of returning to the theme while adding a fresh performance element.
Carrie Underwood Goes Full Rock in 2026
For her 14th season, Underwood is taking the rock influence even further.
The 2026 version of the Sunday Night Football opening moves through three different settings: a recording studio, an intimate music venue and a packed stadium. The production builds around a refreshed version of “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” drawing directly on the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts song that provided its musical foundation.
The visual style matches that direction. Underwood appears in an all-leather look with thigh-high boots, giving the latest opening a distinctly rock-inspired feel. NBC Sports’ promotional images show her in a dark, performance-ready ensemble that combines leather, metallic details and the embellished boots.
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The full 2026 opening debuted on September 13 ahead of the Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants matchup. Viewers also received an early preview during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 6.
Creative director Tripp Dixon, who has worked on the Sunday Night Football opening throughout Underwood’s run, helped shape this year’s rock-focused concept. The production connects Underwood’s contemporary performance style with the rock foundation established by Joan Jett’s original song.
The result is another variation on a theme that has been part of Underwood’s career for nearly a decade and a half. The song may remain familiar, but the presentation continues to change.
Fourteen Seasons, One Familiar Opening
Underwood’s Sunday Night Football history now stretches from 2013 through 2026, with only a brief period in which NBC replaced “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” with other songs.
She has performed “Oh, Sunday Night,” recorded “Game On,” shared the spotlight with Joan Jett and incorporated everything from elaborate visual effects to a drum solo into the opening.
Yet the central idea has remained remarkably consistent: Underwood’s powerful voice introducing one of television’s biggest weekly sporting events.
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When Underwood first took over in 2013, the pressure came from following Faith Hill and stepping into a role that already had a history dating back to Pink’s 2006 debut.
Fourteen seasons later, the opening has become closely associated with Underwood herself.
From her early, straightforward performances to the increasingly ambitious productions of recent years, Sunday Night Football has given her a recurring stage to experiment with her sound and image while keeping the familiar anthem at the center.
And in 2026, that evolution has reached its most overtly rock-driven version yet, with Underwood moving from studio to intimate venue to stadium before the football finally takes over.
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