Carrie Underwood is returning to star in the Sunday Night Football show open for the 11th consecutive year, and NBC shares that she will bring a yet-to-be-revealed "surprise new element" to the opener.
Fans will have to wait until the start of the football season to learn exactly what that surprise is, but a few things will be familiar. Underwood will once again perform the longtime SNF theme, "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night," which is set to the melody of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You." This year's open will featured an "updated rendition" of the song, however.
NBC adds that the brand new opener will feature performance footage from The Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, which is where she performs on her Reflection Las Vegas residency. In addition to the performance footage, the open will feature "augmented reality highlights displayed across a halo scoreboard."
The wait is almost over! ?
Carrie Underwood will star in the open for Sunday Night Football for the 11th consecutive season beginning 9/10 on NBC and @peacock. ?
MORE: https://t.co/PH7sIKFb6L pic.twitter.com/eoM8H6GZ2c
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) August 1, 2023
"Once again, the incredible Sunday Night Football team came up with a fresh, exciting visual concept that really gave us a chance to play," Underwood said of the new intro. "I loved shooting the show open again this year at our home away from home, The Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, and can't wait for another season of football!"
"We're thrilled to work with Carrie to capture a new vision for this season's show open. It sets the tone for the broadcast and pays tribute to the teams, star players and fans in a fun and dynamic way," says Tripp Dixon, creative director of the SNF show open.
A sneak peek of the show open will premiere during the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 3 at 8 PM ET on NBC and Peacock. The full show open will premiere on Sunday, Sept. 10, before the Cowboys-Giants game.
Underwood has served as the face of Sunday Night Football since 2012 when she took over the post from fellow country singer Faith Hill.
