Buffalo Bills to make NFL history with Canadian anthem during home opener
There’s been a lot of tension between Canada and the U.S. in recent months, but it isn’t stopping this NFL franchise from showing some love to its Canadian fanbase.
As the NFL season kicks off this week, the Buffalo Bills announced on Wednesday that they’ll include the Canadian national anthem in their pregame ceremony for their home opener.
On Sept. 17, ahead of their game against the Houston Texans, Canadian music icons The Barenaked Ladies will perform the Canadian anthem at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.
It’ll mark the first time on U.S. soil that the Bills have incorporated both the Canadian and American national anthems into their standard pregame ceremony.
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The move is likely a nod to the team’s massive following in southern Ontario, where the Bills have long had a passionate fanbase in and around the Toronto area.
The only other time the Canadian anthem was performed as part of an NFL or Bills game was during the Bills Toronto Series, which ran from 2008 to 2013. However, those games were played at the Rogers Centre.
Ironically enough, The Barenaked Ladies sang the U.S. anthem in December 2009 during the Bills vs. New York Jets game in Toronto.
The Buffalo Bills played six NFL regular-season games in Toronto at the Rogers Centre from 2008 to 2013. (Jack Landau)
The reverse is now happening for the franchise’s first game at its new stadium in Orchard Park.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, Buffalo is also among the favourites to win Super Bowl LXI, according to sportsbook Bet365.
Only the Los Angeles Rams (+500) have better odds, with the Bills sitting at +1000 to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season.