Madonna to open 2026 VMAs as leading nominee

Madonna will open the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 27.

The booking was confirmed on Sept. 16, with Snoop Dogg set to host the show. It will air live at 7:30 ET / 4:30 PT on CBS in the United States, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ Premium, according to Billboard.

It will be the fifth time Madonna has opened the VMAs telecast. She previously opened the show in 1989, 1993, 1998 and 2003.

With five openings, she will move clear of Rihanna as the artist who has opened the most VMAs telecasts. The 2026 show will also be her first live performance on the VMAs stage since 2003.

That last opener is part of VMAs history. Madonna started the 2003 show alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott. More than two decades later, she returns to the top of the running order.

She arrives as the night's leading nominee. Madonna has a career-high 11 nominations this year, including video of the year, artist of the year and song of the year.

It is the first time she has led the nominations since 1998. That was the year she first won video of the year, the prize for the year's best music video, with "Ray of Light." Her nomination in the category this year is for CONFESSIONS II – THE FILM, as listed on her official site.

Madonna has won 19 competitive VMA Awards across her career. The 11 new nominations give her a fresh chance to add to that total on the same night she opens the show.

The nominations follow a strong year on the charts. Her album Confessions II became her 10th No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the US album chart that ranks albums by sales and streaming equivalent album units, the measure that converts plays into album sales.

What makes this stand out is the double role. Madonna is not just opening the night. She is also the artist with the most to win from it.