Phil Collins’ haunting 1981 hit “In the Air Tonight” returns as the signature opener for one of the biggest stages in sports.
Billboard reports that Ludacris will join Chris Stapleton and Cindy Blackman Santana for Monday Night Football’s opener with Collins’ hit.
“The second you hear that song, you know something big is coming,” the rapper revealed to the outlet, noting that it allowed him to “bring new energy to Monday Night Football.”
“Monday night magic/ Closing out the weekend/ Luda on the mic/ It’s football season!” the Grammy winner and actor rhymes, closing out his rap with “Put ‘em in the air, new year, new anthem,” as Blackman Santana drums the fill from “In the Air Tonight,” often recognized as the greatest and most iconic drum fill in history.
“Chris and Cindy have helped make ‘In the Air Tonight’ an integral part of the Monday Night Football experience over the last three seasons,” Julie McGlone, ESPN vp, production and executive producer of the In the Air Tonight project, said in a statement.
“Adding Ludacris to the legacy MNF anthem brings a new dimension to the creative and continues our tradition of celebrating the intensity, anticipation and shared emotion of American sports culture, where music, competition and spectacle come together to make each game feel like a cultural event.”
With Monday Night Football just around the corner—it kicks off on Monday, September 14, 2026, with the Denver Broncos visiting the Kansas City Chiefs—the segment will lead into each match for the 2026 season.
It’s officially the fourth season that Stapleton and Blackman Santana have reimagined the track for the ESPN broadcast, marking Luda’s first time joining the duo. Snoop Dogg was previously involved in 2023, the year it launched.
The classic Collins tune was one of the most recognizable songs of the 1980s, ranked among “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” by Rolling Stone.
It charted at No.19 on the Hot 100 and became the singer’s signature solo hit, known for its moody atmosphere, “eerie synth-and-drum-machine moodscape,” making it a natural fit for high-profile sports events.
With its continued presence on Monday Night Football, the legendary song continues to reach a new generation of fans, more than four decades after its release.
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