Taylor Swift Will Perform at the 2026 CMA Awards, Her First Time on That Stage in 13 Years

Taylor Swift is going back to country’s biggest night. The Country Music Association and ABC announced on Friday, November 13 that Swift will perform at the 60th Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, November 18, 2026. It will be her first performance on the CMA stage in 13 years, and her first time at the show in a decade.

Why Taylor Swift is at the CMAs this year

Swift is nominated for Single of the Year for “I Knew It, I Knew You,” the country ballad she wrote for Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5. According to Billboard, the nod is her 26th career CMA nomination. When the nominations came out in September, she reacted on Instagram by joking that she hadn’t “yee’d my last haw,” and promised to attend.

Until Friday, nobody knew if she would do more than sit in the audience. The CMAs and ABC have not said what she will sing, though Variety notes her nominated song is the safe bet. UPI reports Swift recently talked about how she tried to honor Toy Story composer Randy Newman with the track.

Taylor Swift’s CMA history

• 2006: attends the CMA Awards for the first time
• 2007: wins her first CMA, the Horizon Award (now New Artist of the Year)
• 2009: becomes the youngest Entertainer of the Year winner in CMA history
• 2013: performs “Red” with Vince Gill and Alison Krauss and receives the Pinnacle Award
• 2016: makes a surprise appearance to present Entertainer of the Year to Garth Brooks
• 2026: returns as a nominee and performer

Swift is a two-time Entertainer of the Year winner. Reports differ on her total trophy count: Billboard puts it at nine wins, while Rolling Stone counts 12, so check the CMA’s official records if you need an exact number.

Who else is performing at the 2026 CMA Awards?

Lainey Wilson hosts. According to Rolling Stone, the performer lineup includes Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert, the Red Clay Strays, Tim McGraw, Tucker Wetmore, Vince Gill and Zach Top. There will also be two collaborative tributes, one honoring the late Dolly Parton and one celebrating Brooks & Dunn, this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. Rolling Stone confirmed that Swift is not part of the Parton tribute, despite online rumors.

How to watch the CMA Awards 2026

• Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
• Time: 8 to 11 p.m. ET
• Where: live from Nashville on ABC, streaming on Disney+

It’s a busy week for big launches: the CMAs land the night before GTA 6’s record-breaking release. And in other music news, Avril Lavigne just announced she is a mom.

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Sources: Billboard, Rolling Stone, Variety, Showbiz Junkies.