Another country crossover on the horizon.
These days, it seems as if country and folk have never been closer together. In addition to major young stars such as Zach Bryan, Sam Barber, Evan Honer, Dylan Gossett and more rising in the genre with a folk-centric sound, we’ve seen a plethora of major folk artists cross over into the country world as of late. Lately, none other than Mumford & Sons has been the latest folk staple to cross over into country, making appearances with the likes of Luke Combs, Sierra Ferrell, Lainey Wilson and more over the course of the past few months.
In August, they collaborated with Lainey Wilson when they brought her out for a surprise performance of Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman” at their New Orleans show, along with Molly Tuttle, during their brief, train-hopping Railroad Revival Tour.
In September, they were featured predominantly during the Grand Ole Opry’s historic, first-ever international show in London at the Royal Albert Hall, along with the likes of Luke Combs, Darius Rucker, Ashley McBryde and more. Serving as a bridge between London and the U.S., frontman, Marcus Mumford, would join Luke Combs for a stellar cover of Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind” at the event.
Just last week, they brought out Wilson and Ferrell again during their show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, performing Wilson’s “Things A Man Oughta Know” and Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You” with the “In Dreams” singer.
With so many appearances with country superstars recently, especially over the past few months, many (myself included) were wondering if Mumford and Co. were signalling a potential full crossover into the genre due to the prominence and subsequent fusion of both country and folk over the past few years.
As it turns out, Mumford & Sons are not fully diving into country music heading into the new year. With that being said, however, they’re calling upon none other than Chris Stapleton to be featured on the first track of their upcoming album, Prizefighter, which is set to release on February 13, 2026.
Prizefighter marks the sixth studio album from the English band and will feature the likes of Stapleton, Gracie Abrams, Gigi Perez and Hozier, who appeared on the record’s lead single released last week, “Rubber Band Man.” This time around, Mumford is calling upon rock band, The Anthem’s, Aaron Dessner as co-writer and co-producer, marking the first time the pair have worked together since 2015’s Wilder Mind.
Discussing the album, Mumford described Prizefighter as a culmination of their career so far. He’d also describe the record as “going for it,” promising that it will cover a wide range of emotion while simultaneously being grounded in hope.
“We feel like we’re hitting our prime as a creative force. We’re putting everything we have into this now, and we’re using everything about our experience so far to embrace exactly who we are. We’re comfortable in our skins these days. And ‘Prizefighter’ is us going for it—serious and playful, sometimes bruised and always hopeful. We’re nowhere near done yet. I hope and believe we’re in the beginning of something we don’t want to let up on. I’m more excited to be in this band than I’ve ever been.”
As for Stapleton’s inclusion on the album, he will appear on Prizefighter‘s opening track, “Here,” which marks the first time Mumford & Sons have featured a country artist on any of their six studio albums. Personally, I can’t think of a better choice than Stapleton. At this point, we all know how versatile both Stapleton and Mumford are, and the possibilities are honestly endless regarding the sonic style of “Here.” Regardless of what direction they take, it’s bound to be a stellar outing come February.
Prizefighter Tracklist:
1. Here (with Chris Stapleton)
2. Rubber Band Man (with Hozier)
3. The Banjo Song
4. Run Together
5. Conversation With My Son
6. Alleycat
7. Prizefighter
8. Begin Again
9. Icarus (with Gigi Perez)
10. Stay
11. Badlands (with Gracie Abrams)
12. Shadow Of A Man
13. I’ll Tell You Everything
14. Clove
Check out their lead single with Hozier, “Rubber Band Man,” here:
Mumford & Sons Tour Dates
November 6—Stockholm, Sweden—Avicii Arena#
November 8—Copenhagen, Denmark—Royal Arena#
November 10—Berlin, Germany—Uber Arena#
November 12—Cologne, Germany—LANXESS Arena+
November 13—Antwerp, Belgium—Antwerps Sportpaleis+
November 14—Paris, France—Adidas Arena#
November 16—Luxembourg, Luxembourg—Rockhal+
November 17—Amsterdam, Netherlands—Ziggo Dome#
November 19—Bologna, Italy—Unipol Arena+
November 20—Zurich, Switzerland—Hallenstadion+
November 21—Milan, Italy—Unipol Forum+
November 23—Barcelona, Spain—Palau Sant Jordi+
November 25—Lisbon, Portugal—Sagres Campo Pequeno+
November 29—Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.—Utilita Arena* (SOLD OUT)
November 30—Leeds, U.K.—First Direct Arena* (SOLD OUT)
December 2—Glasgow, U.K.—OVO Hydro* (SOLD OUT)
December 3—Manchester, U.K.—Co-op Live* (SOLD OUT)
December 5—Sheffield, U.K.—Utilita Arena* (SOLD OUT)
December 7—Birmingham, U.K.—Utilita Arena Birmingham* (SOLD OUT)
December 8—Cardiff, U.K.—Utilita Arena Cardiff* (SOLD OUT)
December 10—London, U.K.—The O2* (SOLD OUT)
December 11—London, U.K.—The O2* (SOLD OUT)
December 27—San Diego, CA—Wild Horses Festival
January 8-11—Cancun, Mexico—Out of the Blue Festival
February 20-22—Tempe, AZ—Innings Festival
#with special guests The Vaccines + The Barr Brothers
+with special guest The Vaccines
*with special guest Sierra Ferrell
