2026 MediHill KBO Futures League Opens on the 20th, What Has Changed

*This content was translated by AI.

The 2026 KBO Futures League began its six-month long journey on the 20th by playing at a total of six stadiums in Icheon (Doosan-LG), Seosan (Koyang-Hanwha), Mungyeong (SSG-Sangmu), Iksan (Samsung-KT), Masan (KIA-NC), and Ulsan (Lotte-Ulsan).

The biggest change in the 2026 Mediheal KBO Futures League is the joining of new team Ulsan. Ulsan was incorporated into the southern league, and the Sangmu baseball team, which belonged to the southern league, moved to the northern league, balancing the system with six northern teams and six southern teams. The Northern and Southern leagues will play 121 games per team, with a total of 726 games until September 20.

The way the interleague operates will also be changed. In the past, except for Sangmu, the southern league team played Game 6 (three home and away games each), Sangmu played Game 8 (five home games, three away games), and the northern league team played Game 8 (three home games, five away games). Starting this year, all teams will play a total of 36 games, with 6 games (3 home and away games each).

Starting this year, all games will be organized on Monday, and Tuesday will be operated as a fixed rest day. The game starts at 1 p.m. However, weekday games (except holidays) in Masan will start at 6:30 p.m. on Mondays, and Ulsan Stadium will start games excluding weekends and holidays at 6:30 p.m.

This year's Summer League season runs from July 15 to August 24. During this period, all games will be held at 6 p.m. to protect players in the hot weather and improve their performance. If the game is canceled due to rain, it will be organized as a doubleheader the next day only from April to May, and both the first and second games will be played in seven innings. In addition, from this year, the number of entries will be increased by two to register up to 28 people when the doubleheader is held.

The way the game is run will also be changed. After the end of the ninth inning, the match-winning game, which will be held at the end of the ninth inning, will be limited to 12 times from the existing method of 10th inning until the game is decided. After that, it will be treated as a draw. The check swing video review, which was conducted on a trial basis last year prior to the official introduction of the KBO League, will not be implemented in the Futures League from this year.

In addition, the Futures League championship match, which was newly established last year, will proceed the same this season. The top two teams in each league of the Futures League regular season advance to the semi-finals, with a single-round match between the winners of the semi-finals to determine the final winners.

The organization of Futures League broadcasts has also been expanded. Out of a total of 726 games, about 120 games will be broadcast live on tvN SPORTS and about 40 games will be broadcast live on KBSNS SPORTS. All Futures League games where TV broadcasts take place can be watched on TVING, an OTT relay company, allowing fans to enjoy Futures League through more diverse channels.

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*This content was translated by AI.