NFL's Buffalo Bills to present Canadian and US anthems at season opener

Sept 9 : Amid the increasingly heated U.S.-Canadian trade war, the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League have weighed in with an apparent goodwill gesture to mark the season opening of their new home stadium near the border of New York and Ontario.

The team announced on their official X account that the NFL franchise would present both the American and Canadian national anthems during pre-game ceremonies next Thursday for the Bills' home opener at Highmark Stadium against the Detroit Lions.

The dual anthem marks an unusual move for an NFL team at a time when a bitter trade war has strained U.S.-Canadian relations. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on goods from Canada and signed executive orders renaming Canadian border landmarks, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has pushed counter-tariffs and urged a shift away from U.S. trade dependence. 

The Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies, best known for their 1998 hit "One Week," are slated to perform "O Canada," the Bills announced. 

The Hawaiian-born actress-singer Auli'i Cravalho, who was the voice of the title character in the Disney animated "Moana" films, will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The team noted that the dual anthem performance would be an historical first for Highmark Stadium, which opened earlier this year and will host its debut NFL game next week as the new home field of the Bills. 

The Buffalo NFL franchise, which held a number of its games in Toronto from 2008 to 2013 to expand its Canadian fan base, did not explain the decision to perform both the U.S. and Canadian national anthems, or whether it would become a regular tradition.

Team representatives did not respond to queries from Reuters asking whether the gesture was meant to