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Pop icon Madonna is all set to return to the MTV Video Music Awards stage after 23 years, with the Queen of Pop set to open the 2026 ceremony with her first live performance at the show since 2003, MTV and CBS announced Wednesday, as reported by People.

Madonna, 68, last performed at the VMAs in 2003, when she opened the show alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott. The performance featured a medley of "Hollywood", "Like a Virgin" and "Passenger", along with Madonna's now-famous onstage kisses with Spears and Aguilera.

More than two decades later, Madonna is set to make her much-awaited return to the VMA stage.

The comeback comes in a major year for the pop star, who leads all artists with 11 nominations at this year's VMAs. Her nominations include Artist of the Year, Video of the Year for "Confessions II – The Film" and Song of the Year for "Bring Your Love", featuring Sabrina Carpenter.

Madonna enters the ceremony with 19 competitive VMA wins and will look to add to her tally. She has previously led the VMAs' nominations three times, earning nine nominations for "Vogue" in 1990 and another nine for "Ray of Light" and "Frozen" in 1998, according to People.

Her association with the VMAs dates back to the inaugural ceremony in 1984, when Madonna performed "Like a Virgin". Emerging from a giant wedding cake in a wedding dress and her now-famous "Boy Toy" belt, she wriggled across the stage, lost a shoe and delivered a performance that went on to become one of the defining moments in VMA history.

In 1986, Madonna became the first solo female artist to receive the prestigious Video Vanguard Award, according to People. 

She returned to the VMAs in 1989, opening the ceremony with a performance of "Express Yourself". A year later, she delivered her acclaimed Marie Antoinette-inspired staging of "Vogue". In 1993, she followed it with the gender-bending "Bye Bye Baby" performance before her 2003 appearance.

In 2021, Madonna made another surprise appearance at the VMAs, walking onto the stage unannounced in a black leather trench coat and matching outfit to celebrate MTV's 40th anniversary.

With 20 VMA wins overall, including her 1986 Video Vanguard Award, and more than 80 nominations throughout her career, Madonna remains one of the most decorated artists in the show's history.

Her return also follows the release of "Confessions II", her critically acclaimed No. 1 album and 15th studio set. Released on July 3, the album marks Madonna's long-awaited follow-up to her 2005 classic "Confessions on a Dance Floor". The album sees the singer reflecting on family, loss, love and her early years as an artist, according to People. 

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Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the 2026 VMAs will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 27, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET (4:30 to 6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS, with a simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ in the US.

The ceremony will be available globally on Paramount+ and MTV the following day.