Even as Kim Yeon-koung departs, the V-League's popularity soars! Women's division average viewership hits all-time high, while total attendance for men's and women's divisions surpasses 630,000 — what made the difference?

*This content was translated by AI.

Bae Gu (황제) Kim Yeon-koung (38) may have left the court, but V-League popularity remains strong.

The Jin Air 2025–2026 V-League, which saw fierce competition for standings until the final regular-season match, has once again set a record for the highest attendance in league history.

According to the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO), the total attendance for both men's and women's divisions across the regular season and playoffs reached 635,461, marking the first time in V-League history that the 630th,000 attendance milestone was surpassed. The previous record stood at 598,216 during the 2024–2025 season. Men's division attendance rose from 257,159 in the previous season to 307,449, a 19.6% increase. In contrast, women's division attendance totaled 328,012, down 3.8% from 341,057 in the prior season. Despite the decline in women's attendance, the combined total for both divisions surged by 6.2%, demonstrating explosive growth and reaffirming the league's stature as one of the "four major professional sports" in Korea.

When limited to the postseason, the men's division drew a total of 14,273 spectators across six games last season, averaging 2,379 per game. This season, with eight games played, the total attendance reached 21,614 (averaging 2,702 per game), marking a 13.6% increase in average attendance.

The total attendance for the women's division postseason this season, which featured six games, was 17,477 (an average of 2,913 per game), down 24.6% from last season's 30,090 (an average of 3,861 per game) across eight games.

A record was also set in viewership. The average viewership for the women's division this season (regular season plus postseason) reached 1.36%, the highest among all historical viewership figures.

recorded figures. The women's division saw an increase of 0.11 percentage points, rising from an overall average viewership of 1.25% to 1.36%, and also posted a 0.09 percentage point gain (from 1.73% to 1.82%) based on post-season standards, demonstrating its enduring popularity.

The average viewership for the men's division (regular season plus postseason) was 0.54%, matching last season's figure. However, when looking solely at the postseason, viewership rose significantly from 0.82% last season to 1.41%, an increase of 0.59 percentage points.

What is the secret? The main factor is that the final eight teams for the spring volleyball tournament in both men's and women's divisions were not confirmed until the very end of the season. This season, the race for rankings in both divisions was unusually fierce. In the men's division, not only the top spot but also the battle for mid-tier positions was closely contested. Our Card, which had been in the lower ranks, gained momentum following the arrival of acting head coach Park Cheol-woo and competed with KB Insurance and KEPCO for a spring volleyball ticket.

Despite finishing last among the three competing teams, the team secured the playoff ticket for the semi-finals—the match held when the point difference between third and fourth place is three or fewer—before any other contender. Our Card faced KB Insurance in a single-game showdown during the semi-finals and advanced to the playoffs, adding further excitement to the season.

In the women's division, the first-ever semi-playoffs were held. GS Caltex secured the final spring volleyball ticket and advanced to the playoffs by defeating Heungkuk Life in the semi-playoffs. In the playoffs, GS Caltex earned two victories against Hyundai Construction, the second-place team in the regular season, and advanced to the championship finals.

GS Caltex defeated the regular-season No. 1 Korea Expressway Corporation in Games 1 through 3, capturing the championship title for the first time in five seasons and setting a historic record as the first team to win all six postseason games. Foreign player Gisele Silva (registered name Silva), who played a pivotal role in etching GS Caltex's name into the history books, was honored not only for his regular-season performance but also by being named the MVP of the Champion Series.

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*This content was translated by AI.