--- title: "Madonna to perform at VMAs for first time in 23 years" description: "Most outlets highlighted Madonna's return to the VMAs stage after a 23-year absence, with The News International emphasizing her long-standing presence at the event since 1984 and Geo News noting her role as the opening performer for the 2026 ceremony. Both outlets framed the performance as a significant comeback but differed slightly in emphasis — one focused on her historical connection to the VMAs, while the other specified the timing and format of her appearance." url: https://harzaviya.com/stories/8902-madonna-to-open-2026-vmas-with-first-performance-in-23-years site: HarZaviya language: en --- # Madonna to perform at VMAs for first time in 23 years entertainment · updated 18 Sep 2026, 3:18 AM PKT · 17–18 Sep 2026 · 3 articles from 3 outlets over 2 developments **HarZaviya summary** — how 3 outlets covered this, generated automatically from their headlines and excerpts: > Most outlets reported that Madonna will perform at the 2026 VMAs after a 23-year absence, with The News International highlighting her return to the stage and Geo News noting she will open the event. Both emphasized the significance of her first live performance at the awards in over two decades. ## How it developed Newest development first. Each carries its own coverage and, where we have one, our summary of it. ### 18 Sep 2026 — Madonna to open 2026 Video Music Awards with first performance in 23 years (1 outlet) - **Daily Times** — [Madonna to open 2026 Video Music Awards with first performance in 23 years](https://dailytimes.com.pk/1554635/madonna-to-open-2026-video-music-awards-with-first-performance-in-23-years/) · 18 Sep 2026, 3:18 AM PKT > Madonna is set to open the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with her first live performance at the ceremony in more than two decades. CBS and MTV jointly announced Wednesday that the pop icon will kick off the show live from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 27, marking her first VMAs performance since 2003, when […] ### 17 Sep 2026 — Madonna to perform at VMAs for first time in 23 years (2 outlets) > Most outlets highlighted Madonna's return to the VMAs stage after a 23-year absence, with The News International emphasizing her long-standing presence at the event since 1984 and Geo News noting her role as the opening performer for the 2026 ceremony. Both outlets framed the performance as a significant comeback but differed slightly in emphasis — one focused on her historical connection to the VMAs, while the other specified the timing and format of her appearance. - **Geo News** — [Madonna to open 2026 VMAs with first performance in 23 years](https://www.geo.tv/latest/682410-madonna-to-open-2026-vmas-with-first-performance-at-the-show-in-23-years) · 17 Sep 2026, 6:05 AM PKT > Madonna is set to open the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with her first live performance at the ceremony in more than two decades. CBS and MTV jointly announced Wednesday that the pop icon will kick off the show live... - **The News International** — [Madonna returns to VMA stage after 23-year break](https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1416522-madonna-returns-to-vma-stage-after-23-year-break) · 17 Sep 2026, 4:57 AM PKT · 84% identical wording to the newest filing > For the first time in 23 years, Madonna will actually perform at the VMAs. The pop icon has had a presence at the show since its very first broadcast in 1984, when she famously performed Like a Virgin, but this year marks a rare return to the... 3 articles from 3 outlets, 17–18 Sep 2026. Headlines and links belong to their outlets — HarZaviya links out and never copies article text. --- HarZaviya compares how Pakistani outlets cover the same story. It stores and shows each outlet's headline and a short excerpt, and links out — it never copies article text, and every headline belongs to the outlet that wrote it. It takes no stance on any outlet. Pages: [Top stories](https://harzaviya.com/) · [Latest headlines](https://harzaviya.com/feed) · [Archive](https://harzaviya.com/archive) · [Why](https://harzaviya.com/why) · [Sources](https://harzaviya.com/sources) · [Methodology](https://harzaviya.com/methodology) · [About](https://harzaviya.com/about) · [About the bot](https://harzaviya.com/about-bot) Trackers: [Gold prices](https://harzaviya.com/gold-prices) · [Fuel prices](https://harzaviya.com/fuel-prices) · [Stock exchange](https://harzaviya.com/stock-exchange) Any page on this site is available as markdown: send `Accept: text/markdown`, or add `.md` to the path.