'Record-breaking box office': 2026 KBO League surpasses 200 thousand won spectators in the fewest games ever in history → '13 million era' in sight

*This content was translated by AI.

The 2026 KBO League season has rewritten the history of Korean professional baseball by generating an unstoppable box office boom. After maintaining intense momentum since opening day, the league shattered the record for the fewest games needed to reach 200 thousand won spectators. At this rate, projections suggest the total attendance could reach 13 million.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) officially announced on the 25th, after all games concluded, to the press corps that the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League surpassed 200 thousand won cumulative spectators in just 117 games, the fewest in history. This sets a new record, beating last year's mark of 118 games by one game.

According to the KBO, a total of 99,905 spectators gathered across five stadiums nationwide on that day, proving the intense passion for baseball. Notably, except for the match between SSG Landers and KT Wiz at Munhak, sell-out cases continued at four other stadiums: Jamsil (LG Twins vs. Doosan Bears), Gwangju (KIA Tigers vs. Lotte Giants), Gocheok (Kiwoom Heroes vs. Samsung Lions), and Daejeon (Hanwha Eagles vs. NC Dinos), highlighting the popularity of weekend baseball.

By stadium, Jamsil recorded a full house with 23,750 attendees, followed by Munhak (22,655), Gwangju (20,500), Daejeon (17,000), and Gocheok (16,000). As of the conclusion on the 25th, the cumulative season attendance totaled 2,094,481, with an average attendance of 17,902 per game.

Earlier in the 2026 season, the league surpassed 10 thousand won spectators in just 14 days (55 games), setting a new record for the shortest period to reach that milestone. Subsequently, it attracted an additional 10 thousand won spectators in just 11 days, ushering in the 2nd million spectator era.

At the center of the box office boom are the 'defending champions' LG and the 'traditional powerhouse' Samsung. LG leads the overall attendance with 331,872 spectators (average 23,705), while Samsung closely trails with 306,709 spectators (average 23,593). Following them, Hanwha (221,000), Doosan (219,896), and Lotte (200,392) each surpassed 200,000 cumulative spectators.

The sell-out streak is also record-breaking. Of the 117th games played so far, 65 games (56%) have been sold out. Notably, the Hanwha Eagles sold out all home games this season, achieving a remarkable 100% seat occupancy rate, the only team among the 10th clubs to do so. LG and Hanwha each recorded the most sell-outs with 13 games, followed by Doosan (8) and Samsung (7).

In terms of attendance growth, the Kiwoom Heroes and KT Wiz stood out. Kiwoom recorded 142,981 spectators, a 39% increase from last season, showing the highest growth rate. KT also contributed to the league's box office success with 177,360 spectators, a 36% increase.

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*This content was translated by AI.