ESPN has added Ludacris to the “In The Air Tonight” opening that has introduced Monday Night Football since 2023. The rebuilt version of the Phil Collins song premieres Monday night, when the Denver Broncos visit the Kansas City Chiefs.
A Fourth Season For Stapleton And Blackman Santana
Chris Stapleton and drummer Cindy Blackman Santana return as the anchor of the open for a fourth consecutive season, and Ludacris joins them for the first time. His verse is the first substantial addition to the arrangement since Stapleton and Blackman Santana first teamed up on it three years ago.
Julie McGlone, ESPN vice president of production and executive producer of the project, said the pair have made the song an integral part of the Monday Night Football experience over the last three seasons, and that adding Ludacris to the legacy anthem brings a new dimension to it. Rico Labbe has been the creative director of the open since its debut in 2023, and Amanda Paschal has produced it every season since.
The Song Has Been Reworked Every Year Since 2023
Collins released “In The Air Tonight” in 1981, and ESPN has rebuilt the track each season rather than recycling the same recording. Stapleton’s vocal and Blackman Santana’s take on the drum fill have become the two fixed points of the arrangement, with the rest of it changing year to year.
ESPN says additional behind the scenes material and creative assets tied to this year’s version will be released ahead of the season premiere.
It Leads Into ESPN’s First Super Bowl Season
ESPN enters the 2026 season with the largest NFL game portfolio in its history at 28 games, and it ends with the network’s first ever production of the Super Bowl. Super Bowl LXI is set for February 14, 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and will air on ESPN and ABC.
Monday Night Football returns with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge, the quartet who will also call Super Bowl LXI in February. Buck and Aikman begin their 25th season together, one of the longest running partnerships in sports television. On ESPN2 and the ESPN app, Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli returns for a sixth season, with the Manning brothers calling 12 games this year including the Super Bowl.
Week 1 is an AFC West meeting between two division rivals, and ESPN’s full Monday coverage runs all day from Kansas City before kickoff.
When To Watch
Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, September 14, across ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes, with kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium set for 8:15 p.m. ET. The new open runs before the broadcast begins, and every Monday Night Football game this season will carry the same version.
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