Carrie Underwood returns for 13th season of ‘Sunday Night Football’

Carrie Underwood will return to NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” for a 13th consecutive season as the featured performer in the show open, which debuts Sunday, Sept. 7, ahead of the season opener between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills.

The new open was filmed at the Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, where Underwood recently concluded her multiyear residency, “Reflection.” The theater was also used in previous “SNF” open productions.

Tripp Dixon, who has directed the “SNF” show open for the past 13 seasons, said the 2025 version marks a reimagining of the theme and visuals in recognition of “SNF’s” 20th season on NBC.

“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,’” Dixon said.

Underwood said the production team aimed to meet audience expectations for high energy and visuals.

“We had a blast shooting the new opening at the Resorts World Theatre again,” Underwood said in a statement. “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.”

A preview of the new open will air during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, July 31, at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock.

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was the most-watched program in U.S. primetime television for the 14th consecutive season in 2024-25, based on live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen. It ranked first in all major demographics.

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