Featuring Travis Hunter, Rome Odunze, Bijan Robinson, Dexter Lawrence II and More, “The Season Is Your Stage” Highlights Football’s Iconic “Cellys” and Their Power in Pop Culture

Watch: “The Season Is Your Stage”

NEW YORK – Aug. 20, 2026 — The NFL debuted its 2026 Kickoff brand campaign, “The Season Is Your Stage,” highlighting touchdown dances, signature celebrations and memorable moments that have become a defining part of football.  The campaign reflects the shared excitement and joy that make the start of every NFL season a moment worth celebrating.

At the heart of the energy-filled campaign are celebration dances, also known as “cellys,” which are displays of player creativity that embody both the excitement of football and the sport’s broader impact on culture. Cellys unite players and fans around the world through shared moments of self-expression and joy, turning unforgettable on-field celebrations into off-the-field trends that resonate across pop culture.

“The Season Is Your Stage,” created in partnership with 72andSunny, features some of the NFL’s most dynamic personalities, including Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons), Kyle Pitts (Atlanta Falcons), Dion Dawkins (Buffalo Bills), James Cook (Buffalo Bills), Luther Burden (Chicago Bears), Rome Odunze (Chicago Bears), Dexter Lawrence (Cincinnati Bengals), Nico Collins (Houston Texans), Cam Bynum (Indianapolis Colts) and Travis Hunter (Jacksonville Jaguars).

Imagining what happens before the season begins, the NFL built a fictional life-sized “Celly Studio,” where players rehearse their celebrations or cellys before they’re unveiled on the field. Bynum, known for choreographing some of the most viral cellys, is deemed “NFL Celly Coordinator,” helping the guys perfect their moves, from hip movements to body rolls. The video spotlights some of the most memorable celebrations, such as Lawrence’s “Sexy Dexy” and the “Bynum Bounce,” and the sugarcane bushes from the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show featuring Bad Bunny even make a cameo, nodding to the cultural power the NFL.

“With the season just around the corner, we wanted to highlight one of football’s most joyful and recognizable forms of self-expression—moments that begin on the field and resonate far beyond it,” said Marissa Solis, NFL senior vice president of global brand and consumer marketing. “Football is at its best when fueled by passion, personality and creativity, and ‘The Season Is Your Stage’ invites fans everywhere to embrace the energy and unforgettable moments that make each season uniquely special.”

The Kickoff campaign’s celly theme will extend beyond the spot through two gaming-focused activations.

On Roblox, signature celebration dances from players, including Nico Collins, Cam Bynum, Dexter Lawrence and Travis Hunter, will come to life inside NFL Universe Football, developed by Voldex. Featured dances may be earned through gameplay or purchased. Fans will be able to perform the moves themselves while personalizing their avatars with select players’ names, numbers and likenesses, bringing the campaign to one of the largest platforms among the NFL’s youngest, most active fans.

Additionally, NFL Race to the Endzone, the award-winning, gaming-inspired YouTube series from the NFL and Livewire that pairs NFL players with top gaming creators, is back for a second season. This year, the celly theme runs through all 20 episodes with a new “Celly Challenge” segment. NFL players, including Jaylen Waddle, Ashton Jeanty and Tyler Shough, as well as mascots and cheerleaders put content creators, like Pikaboo, WILDCAT, CashNasty and Kani Rosi, to the test and rate their dance skills and touchdown celebrations in each episode. Watch the trailer here.

Football officially returns with the annual primetime NFL Kickoff Game, as the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots at Lumen Field on Wednesday, September 9, on NBC in a rematch of Super Bowl LX. The following day, the first-ever regular-season NFL game will be played in Australia, in partnership with the Victorian State Government and Visit Victoria. The game will feature the Los Angeles Rams taking on the San Francisco 49ers at 8:35pm ET and will stream on Netflix.

Tickets to all preseason and regular season games are on sale now, and fans can visit nfl.com/tickets to purchase today. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, SeatGeek and Sports Illustrated Tickets – members of NFL Ticket HQ.

RIO DE JANEIRO — August 20, 2026 — The National Football League announced that Brazilian samba and pagode star Péricles and American bilingual recording artist Kandace Lindsey will perform the national anthems of Brazil and the United States prior to the 2026 NFL Rio Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 5:25 p.m. BRT (4:25 p.m. ET) at Maracanã Stadium.

Péricles will perform the Brazilian National Anthem, and Kandace Lindsey will perform the U.S. National Anthem.

One of the leading voices in Brazilian samba and pagode, Péricles has built a celebrated career spanning four decades. A founding member and longtime lead vocalist of Exaltasamba, he launched a successful solo career in 2012 and has released acclaimed projects including Em Sua Direção, which earned a Latin GRAMMY® nomination for Best Samba/Pagode Album.

“I’m very happy and honored to receive this invitation. Singing the Brazilian National Anthem is always a very special moment, and having the opportunity to represent Brazil at an event of this magnitude, here at the Maracanã, makes it even more meaningful,” said Péricles. “Music and sports have a unique way of bringing people together and creating unforgettable moments. I’m truly excited to be part of such an important moment for the NFL in Brazil, and I hope to represent our country in the best possible way”.

Kandace Lindsey is a bilingual American recording artist whose work bridges Brazilian soul, jazz and global rhythms. Singing in Portuguese and English, her latest album, To Brasil with Love, reflects her deep connection to Brazilian music and culture. She has performed internationally and shared stages with artists including Herbie Hancock, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. She is also a featured artist on a Latin GRAMMY®-winning album.

“I am so proud to represent the USA, singing our National Anthem on a stage in a city that has inspired me artistically is a full-circle moment for me,” said Lindsey. “Music has the power to bring people together across cultures and borders, and I’m honored to have that cross-cultural exchange on full display on this global stage, representing my country through my voice and my art.”

“Péricles and Kandace Lindsey bring distinct voices and a shared connection to the musical cultures of Brazil and the United States,” said Tim Tubito, “Their anthem performances will create a powerful opening at Maracanã Stadium as we celebrate the NFL’s first regular-season game in Rio de Janeiro and bring fans together through football and music.”

Earlier this week, it was announced that Brazilian DJ Pedro Sampaio and global music icon Ricky Martin will take the stage during the halftime show of the 2026 NFL Rio Game. The Rio performance is one of a record seven halftime shows presented by American Express staged across the 2026 International Games – a lineup of musical performances spanning seven countries and four continents – as the league plays its most international games ever in a single season.

Both the Brazil and U.S. anthems, along with the full halftime show, will be broadcast live in Brazil on Globo’s channels GETV and sportv.

The league is committed to growing the game at every level across Brazil, engaging fans year-round through partners, programs and initiatives. Further information around the entertainment and fan events surrounding the 2026 NFL Rio Game will follow soon.

Tickets for the 2026 NFL Rio Game are on sale now at nfl.com/Rio.

To stay up to date on all things NFL Brazil and for more on the 2026 NFL Rio Game, follow @nflbrasil on Instagram, X and TikTok.

Sixty-two regular-season NFL games have been played outside the United States, with London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, São Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto having hosted games to date.

2026 NFL International Games (*designates a new market/city for 2026):

·       London, U.K. (Two games in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, one in Wembley Stadium)

·       Madrid, Spain (Bernabéu Stadium)

·       Melbourne, Australia* (Melbourne Cricket Ground)

·       Mexico City, Mexico (Estadio Banorte)

·       Munich, Germany (FC Bayern Munich Arena)

·       Paris, France* (Stade de France Stadium)

·       Rio De Janeiro, Brazil* (Maracanã Stadium)

NFL Media Contacts: Adrian Godoy, Adrian.Godoy@nfl.com; Joao Victor Campos, joao@brandpower.com.br

Péricles Media Contact: Amanda Ferro, amanda.ferro@fariasproducoes.art.br

Kandace Lindsey Media Contact: Kaprice Webster, info@kandacelindsey.com