The Buffalo Bills aren't playing in Canada on Thursday night.
But you'll hear the Canadian national anthem anyway.
Barenaked Ladies will perform "O Canada" before the Bills play the Detroit Lions on Thursday, Sept. 17. It's the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium.
The Canadian rock band will be followed by actress and singer Auli'i Cravalho performing "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Why two national anthems before an NFL game in Orchard Park?
It's a nod to the thousands of Canadian fans who have crossed the border to watch the Bills for decades, and the latest part of Buffalo's renewed push to grow its fanbase north of the border.
Here's what to know about why the Bills are playing the Canadian national anthem and their long connection
to Canada.
Why are the Bills playing the Canadian national anthem?
The Bills are using their first regular-season game at new Highmark Stadium to recognize their Canadian fanbase.
Southern Ontario is an important part of the Bills' regional market, with Toronto located less than 100 miles from Buffalo.
Bills chief operating officer Pete Guelli said in 2025 that Canadian residents accounted for approximately 10% to 15% of the team's season-ticket members.
Buffalo joined the NFL's Global Markets Program for Canada in 2025 and partnered with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto FC and CFL's Toronto Argonauts.
The Bills expanded their radio network into Canada prior to this season, adding affiliates in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
Why are Barenaked Ladies singing 'O Canada' at Bills vs. Lions?
Barenaked Ladies are a Canadian rock band formed in Scarborough, Ontario, in 1988.
The two-time Grammy Award nominated band broke through in Canada in the early 1990s before becoming a major commercial success in the United States. Its biggest hits include “One Week,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, “Pinch Me,” “The Old Apartment” and “If I Had $1,000,000.”
Barenaked Ladies also recorded the theme song for the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2018.
It won't be their first national anthem at a Bills game.
Barenaked Ladies performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a Bills-Jets game at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Dec. 3, 2009.
Have the Bills played 'O Canada' before?
Yes. Playing the Canadian national anthem at a Bills home game isn't unprecedented.
Under former owner Ralph Wilson, the Bills held annual Canadian fan appreciation games in Orchard Park that included both the Canadian and American national anthems.
The Buffalo Sabres have performed both "O Canada" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" before home games regardless of its opponent since the franchise began play in 1970.
The Bills and Sabres are both owned by Terry and Kim Pegula.
Did the Buffalo Bills used to play in Toronto?
Yes. The Bills Toronto Series began in 2008, when Buffalo became the first NFL team to host a regular-season game in Canada.
The Bills played six regular-season games and two preseason games at Rogers Centre during the series.
The final regular-season game was played in Toronto in 2013. The Bills and Rogers Communications terminated the series in 2014.
Who is singing the national anthem at Bills vs. Lions?
Auli'i Cravalho will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Cravalho is an actress and singer best known as the voice of the title character in Disney's "Moana."
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Why are Bills playing the Canadian national anthem? Here's why you'll hear 'O Canada'
