CMA Awards 2026: Ella Langley leads nominations as Taylor Swift returns to the country stage

The 2026 CMA Awards are set for Wednesday, Nov. 18, when the 60th annual ceremony broadcasts live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Lainey Wilson returns as host for what is billed as Country Music's Biggest Night, and women are leading the way across the major categories.

Viewers can watch at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+, with the show available on Hulu the next day. Red carpet coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET, streaming on OnTheRedCarpet.com and Disney+.

Ella Langley arrives as the year's most nominated artist with nine nods, powered by her record-breaking hit "Choosin' Texas." She picked up her first nominations for Album of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, while both "Choosin' Texas" and "Be Her" are up for Song of the Year and Single of the Year.

Langley also had a strong showing at last year's ceremony, where "You Look Like You Love Me," her collaboration with Riley Green, won Song of the Year, Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year. "Actually, being here feels a little surreal," Langley said on last year's red carpet. "It's just so cool to be on this side of the camera and experience what these awards are like in real life."

Miranda Lambert, who co-wrote "Be Her" and "Choosin' Texas" with Langley, collected seven nominations of her own. They include Female Vocalist of the Year and two Musical Event of the Year nominations, for "Horses and Divorces" with Kacey Musgraves and "A Song to Sing" with Chris Stapleton.

Musgraves is back in contention after a CMA dry spell dating to her last wins in 2019. She earned five nominations, including Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year and a Song of the Year nod for "Dry Spell."

Wilson, the reigning Entertainer of the Year, has three nominations in addition to her hosting duties. A win would make her the first woman ever to take home Entertainer of the Year three times. "The ladies are whooping butt," Wilson said at last year's awards. "And I don't think it's slowing down anytime soon, y'all. I love to see it."

Taylor Swift is also returning to the CMA fold. She went back to her country roots with "I Knew It, I Knew You" from "Toy Story 5" and is nominated for Single of the Year, a category she never won during her country era, although she was twice named CMA Entertainer of the Year. "Looks like I haven't yee'd my last haw! See you there Nov. 18!" she posted on Instagram. Swift, who married Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in July, will perform at the ceremony, her first CMA performance in over a decade. She last sang at the awards in 2013, delivering an acoustic version of "Red" with Alison Krauss and Vince Gill.

The performer lineup also includes Cody Johnson, Langley, Musgraves, Wilson, Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, Lambert, The Red Clay Strays, Tim McGraw, Tucker Wetmore, Vince Gill and Zach Top. Announced collaborations pair Mumford & Sons with Chris Stapleton and Stephen Wilson Jr. with Stapleton. A special performance celebrating Brooks & Dunn, this year's recipients of the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, will feature Brothers Osborne, HARDY, Luke Bryan, Marcus King and Halestorm. The show will also pay tribute to Dolly Parton, with performers yet to be named.

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