Mumford & Sons to Make CMA Awards Debut in 2026 All-Star Lineup

Mumford & Sons will play their first-ever CMA Awards on Nov. 18, the Country Music Association announced Tuesday. The British folk-rock band joins an expanding bill for the annual ceremony, airing live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu.

The announcement landed after what organizers would call a difficult week. The source describes it bluntly: "It's been a rocky road for the CMA this week, but with the annual awards show imminent, the train must keep running." The show, it seems, plans to run on star power.

The new additions include Luke Combs, Vince Gill, Megan Moroney, Mumford & Sons, Chris Stapleton, Stephen Wilson Jr., and host Lainey Wilson. They join previously announced performers Kacey Musgraves, Tim McGraw, and Ella Langley.

Who performs with whom?

Mumford & Sons make their debut with help from Stapleton, their collaborator on "Here." Stapleton pulls double duty: he is also scheduled to perform alongside Wilson Jr., described in the announcement as a fellow deep-voiced guitar virtuoso. The pairing makes commercial sense. As the source notes, Stapleton "is the source of one of the most talked about and beloved CMA performances of all time." Everyone, apparently, wants a piece of that history.

The night's marquee tribute honors Brooks & Dunn, this year's recipients of the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. An ensemble performance will feature Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Halestorm, Hardy, and Marcus King. No song choices have been released, but the performers share a recording history with the honorees. Brothers Osborne covered "Hard Workin' Man" on the Brooks & Dunn collaborative album Reboot, while Hardy, King, and Halestorm all appeared on its second edition, Reboot II. Halestorm's take on "Boot Scootin' Boogie" was, per the source, "a particular highlight."

A hard-rock band honoring a country duo is not the strangest booking in CMA history. It may be among the loudest.

What else is on the bill?

Plenty. Already scheduled performers include:

• Red Clay Strays
• Zach Top
• Miranda Lambert
• Cody Johnson
• Tucker Wetmore

The ceremony will also feature a tribute to late country legend Dolly Parton, details of which remain under wraps.

Ella Langley enters the night as the top nominee. Her song "Choosin' Texas" became a soundtrack for a political movement in Texas, giving the ceremony an unintended cultural footnote this cycle.

Why it matters

With a genre-crossing lineup, two tributes, and a first-time appearance from Mumford & Sons, the Nov. 18 broadcast positions the CMA Awards as a broad-tent showcase. The setlist details, still unannounced, are now the main open question before curtain time in Nashville.