A New Era of 13 Million Spectators Opens... LG, Samsung, and Hanwha Compete for Joint First Place with '36 Sold-Out Games'

*This content was translated by AI.

The 2026 KBO League has surpassed 8 million spectators in the fewest games ever recorded. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that as of the 19th, cumulative season attendance reached 8,007,967, crossing the 8th-million mark after just 443 games. This breaks the previous record set in 2025, which required 465 games, shaving off 22 games.

The average attendance this season stands at 18,077 per game, an 8% increase compared to the same number of games last year (16,809). At this rate, the final season attendance across 720 games is projected arithmetically to reach 13,015,206. This will surpass the all-time high of 12,312,519 set in 2025, ushering in history's first era of 13 million spectators.

The competition for popularity among teams is also intriguing. In terms of average attendance, LG Twins lead with 23,338 per game, followed by Samsung Lions at 23,295. The difference is a mere 43 people.

However, in terms of seat occupancy rate, Samsung leads with 99.3%, ahead of LG and Hanwha Eagles (both at 98.3%). In the number of sold-out games, LG, Samsung, and Hanwha are tied for first place with 36 games each.

Growth among teams with relatively lower attendance is also notable. In terms of growth rate compared to the same number of games last year, NC Dinos (25%), KT Wiz (16%), and Kiwoom Heroes (16%) occupy the top three spots. Consequently, all 10 teams are currently recording average attendance of over 12,000 per game.

It is also noteworthy that the excitement has been maintained despite the July heatwave and rainy season. The KBO stated, "After surpassing 7 million spectators on June 30, we reached 8 million in just 55 games, setting a new all-time record for the fewest games required to reach this milestone, breaking the 2025 record of 60 games."

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*This content was translated by AI.