The Buffalo Bills are making a clear statement about the sound of Highmark Stadium this season: every home game will feature both national anthems.
According to Front Office Sports, the team will play “O Canada” before each home date in 2025, marking the first time both the U.S. and Canadian anthems will be honored in the new building. The Bills announced the opening-night plan on Wednesday, with Toronto’s Barenaked Ladies set to perform the Canadian anthem on Sept. 17 against Detroit. Auliʻi Cravalho, the voice of Moana, will then sing the Star-Spangled Banner.
That Thursday night matchup will also serve as the first regular-season kickoff in the $2.1 billion stadium. OneRepublic is scheduled for halftime, and the pregame presentation will now begin with two flags instead of one.
The decision fits the team’s fan base. Canadian season-ticket holders are said to account for about 10 to 15 percent of the base, and Southern Ontario is only a two-hour drive from Orchard Park.
The Bills also have a long-standing connection to Canada, having staged Toronto home games from 2008 to 2013. Minority owners include former Raptors and Toronto FC names, while Terry Pegula owns both the Bills and the Sabres.
This isn’t a new concept for Pegula’s sports empire, either. The Sabres have played both anthems since 1970, and the Bills are now following suit.
The timing, though, is hard to miss. The anthem plan lands in the middle of a trade-war week, after Trump signed new import bans on Canadian goods Tuesday. Still, the club has framed the move as a tribute to fans rather than a political message.
There’s also a practical side to it. FOS reported that every home game this season will include “O Canada,” not just the opener. The official graphic only names the Lions game so far, but the broader plan is clear: Orchard Park is leaning into its cross-border crowd.
Josh Allen opens the season on the road at Houston before the Bills bring the building to life against Detroit. That first home game will be the initial test of the two-anthem setup, and Highmark Stadium will find out quickly whether both sides of the border are ready to sing.
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