CMA Awards 2022: Everything to Know About Country Music's Biggest Night

Terry Wyatt/Getty, Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty, Kevin Mazur/WireImage

The night of nights in country music is finally here!

For its 56th year, the CMA Awards will broadcast live from Nashville at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning as hosts and a star-studded performance lineup.

This year, Lainey Wilson is leading the nominations list — making her only the fourth artist in history to debut on the CMA ballot with six nominations as a first-time nominee.

Meanwhile, the reining entertainer of the year Luke Combs will go up against Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton Carrie Underwood and Morgan Wallen for the title.

Here is everything to know about country music's biggest night, which will air on ABC.

Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning Will Host

Last year, Bryan, 46, made history by being the first person to host the award show solo since Vince Gill in 2003.

This year, the "Play It Again" singer will be joined by NFL star Peyton Manning. The country star revealed that he and Manning would be teaming up for the award show in August as he guest co-hosted an episode of Live! With Kelly and Ryan.

Manning, who's appeared as a host on multiple ESPN programs, is just as excited as Bryan. "I cannot wait to head to Nashville and take the CMA Awards stage alongside my friend Luke Bryan," the two-time Super Bowl champion said of his first time hosting the award show in a press release.

Meanwhile, in September, Bryan told PEOPLE he was more than ready to take on the role with his friend.

"Peyton's always been a huge country music supporter and fan, and obviously he's a ginormous star beyond being a football star," Bryan said at the time. "He touches a different audience than me, so I think it helps us get into more households and maybe more people tune in to see what kind of crazy shenanigans he and I may be up to."

Get to Know the Nominees

Leading the nominations list this year is first-time nominee Lainey Wilson, whose February 2021 album Sayin' What I'm Thinkin' earned her a total of six nominations, including album of the year, female vocalist of the year, new artist of the year, music video of the year, musical event of the year and song of the year.

Behind Wilson is Ashley McBryde, Pearce, Stapleton and songwriter and producer Shane McAnally with five nominations each. Cody Johnson and songwriter/producer Josh Osborne scored four nominations each, while Combs, HARDY, Lambert, Midland and Underwood secured three nominations apiece.

Check out PEOPLE's full CMAs coverage to get the latest news on country music's biggest night

Rich Fury/Getty Lainey Wilson

Check out PEOPLE's full CMA Awards coverage to get the latest news on country's biggest night.

Along with Wilson, first-time CMA Awards nominees this year include BRELAND, Alexa Campbell, Jack Clarke, Dan Grech-Marguerat, Jacob Davis, Dustin Haney, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins, Jason Lehning, Chip Matthews, Parker McCollum, Michael Monaco, Jason Nix, Mikey Reaves, Harper Smith and Trent Willmon.

Blake Lively is also among the list of first-time nominees. She was nominated in the music video of the year category for directing the visual for Taylor Swift's collaboration with Stapleton, "I Bet You Think About Me" (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault).

Who Is Performing?

This year's award show is booked and busy with the list of performers!

Several of your favorite country stars are scheduled to take the stage at the award show, starting off with an all-star tribute to late country legend Loretta Lynn, who died on Oct. 4 at age 90.

Luke Combs will be among those to take the stage, performing his latest single "The Kind of Love We Make."

Thomas Rhett and Katy Perry will perform their collaboration "Where We Started" together, while Cody Johnson will sing "Til You Can't."

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images; Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images; Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Kelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert

Elle King and The Black Keys will team up for a cover of "Great Balls of Fire" in honor of Jerry Lee Lewis, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame shortly before his death on Oct. 28.

Other collaborations include reigning CMA vocal duo of the year Brothers Osborne and The War and Treaty, who will sing "It's Only Rock & Roll (But I Like It)" together, and Stapleton and Patty Loveless, who will collab on "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive."

More performances include Bryan, Pearce, Lambert, Underwood, Wallen, Kelsea Ballerini and Kelly Clarkson, Zac Brown Band and Marcus King, and HARDY and Wilson.

Who Is Presenting?

The presenters for this year's award show are bringing even more star power to the night!

Country stars Wynonna Judd, Jeannie Seely, Reba McEntire and Tyler Hubbard will all take the stage, as will nominees Lady A, BRELAND, Wilson, Jordan Davis and McCollum.

Actors Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon, who will soon star as Tammy Wynette and George Jones in the Paramount+ series George & Tammy will also present, as will HGTV stars Ben and Erin Napier, Yellowstone star Cole Hauser, Amber Brown actress and Grey's Anatomy alum Sarah Drew, Big Sky actor Rex Linn and Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts.

How Can I Watch?

The CMA Awards, the longest-running annual music awards program in network television, will broadcast live from Nashville on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.