The New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers will bring the NFL to Paris for a historic Week 7 matchup in the 2026 season, but the action at Stade de France will begin with a special pregame ceremony with the national anthems.
The Soul Rebels, the New Orleans brass band known for blending jazz with contemporary sounds, will perform the U.S. national anthem, while French singer Nina Tonji will deliver the French national anthem.
The anthem performances will be part of a broader entertainment lineup surrounding the Saints-Steelers clash on Sunday, October 25, at 9:30 AM ET. The halftime show will be headlined by Nigerian singer and songwriter Burna Boy.
Who are The Soul Rebels, the band singing the U.S. national anthem?
The Soul Rebels, an eight-member brass band from New Orleans, combine traditional brass-band sounds with jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, rock and pop. Their lineup features percussionists, trumpeters, trombonists, a saxophonist and a sousaphonist.
The Soul Rebels perform onstage during the FRI&NDS by OBJ Super Bowl Party (Source: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for FRI&NDS By Odell Beckham Jr. Presented By Cash App)
They collaborated with major artists across several genres, including Metallica, Green Day, Nas, Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg and Bruno Mars. Those collaborations have helped establish the group beyond the traditional brass-band scene.
The band already has experience performing at major NFL events. The Soul Rebels performed the theme for NBC’s Sunday Night Football in 2012 and served as the house band for the 2013 NFL Honors ceremony in New Orleans.
Who is Nina Tonji, the singer performing the French national anthem?
Nina Tonji is a Montreal-born singer, composer and classical violist. She began pursuing classical music at a young age and entered the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris at just 16.
Nina Tonji (Source: @NFL)
She subsequently performed as a soloist on international stages while continuing to develop her work as a singer and composer. Her musical influences include jazz, soul and Latin music, alongside her classical training.
She also explores different roles as a performer, working as a violist, vocalist, composer and arranger. This combination of styles is reflected in SEN, her EP released in 2024, which features songs including:
- Mots
- Find
- J’attendrai
- Goodbye
The NFL Paris Game will put her in front of an international football audience as she performs La Marseillaise, France’s national anthem, ahead of the first regular-season NFL game held in the country.
Key takeaways
- The Soul Rebels will sing the U.S. national anthem before Saints vs. Steelers.
- Nina Tonji will perform La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, at Stade de France.
- Burna Boy will headline the halftime show for the 2026 NFL Paris Game.
