Carrie Underwood’s New Sunday Night Football Song for 2025 NFL Season: Everything to Know

Nothing pairs quite like the hard-hitting action of the National Football League and these six words – “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” – belted from the always sensational pipes of Carrie Underwood.

For the 13th consecutive NFL season, the eight-time GRAMMY Award-winning talent from Muskogee, Oklahoma, will star in the musical show opening for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The new show open will be fully unveiled when the NFL regular season kicks off on September 7 on NBC and Peacock with the playoff rematch between the Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore Ravens and 2024 MVP Josh Allen and the defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills.

But fans of Underwood and professional football are in store for a special treat as highlights from the new SNF show opening will get a sneak peek this Thursday, July 31 at 8 p.m. during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions on NBC and Peacock.

How long has NBC had Sunday Night Football?

Now headed into its 20th season, Sunday Night Football began airing on NBC in August 2006. Routinely scoring high praise for both its production value and the quality of its commentators’ analysis, the show has captured the title of primetime television’s No. 1 program for an unprecedented 14 consecutive years with Carrie Underwood headlining the show’s opening for 13 back-to-back seasons. Anchoring NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football are two perennial broadcast pillars of the network, Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth.

What’s new about the Sunday Night Football show opening?

While NBC makes adjustment to the show opening for Sunday Night Football each year, Tripp Dixon, creative director for the SNF opener, decided to shake things up a bit ahead of the 2025-2026 NFL season by leaning into the bold, unflinching power behind Carrie Underwood’s signature vocals.

“For the 20th season of SNF, we wanted to set the tone for the night by reimagining the anthem sound in a way that plays to Carrie’s powerhouse vocals, while visually creating a seamless blend of stylized shots and behind-the-scenes moments evoking the national roadshow that is Sunday Night Football, week after week in the fall,” said Dixon.

Carrie Underwood talks Sunday Night Football’s new opener

Carrie Underwood plays the guitar onstage.
No stranger to the primetime spotlight, the multi-format superstar, who’s sold more than 85 million records worldwide and remains the most-awarded female country artist for singles ever, heralded the show’s exciting new opener as the type of exhilarating triumph that elevates the show above its competition.

“We had a blast shooting the new opening at The Resorts World Theatre again,” opined Underwood, who performed the show’s opening number at the Sin City venue. The chart-topping former American Idol winner was in familiar territory for the filming as The Resorts World Theatre also serves as the site of her wildly successful three-plus year residency, REFLECTIONS – the longest-running Las Vegas residency of any solo female country artist.

“As always, Tripp and the creative team continue to raise the bar, bringing the high energy and stunning visuals that the Sunday Night Football audience has come to expect year after year.”

“I can’t wait for the world to see it!”