It has sped up by a staggering 23 games! Surpassing 9 million spectators in just 505 games → New record set: "Samsung holds the No. 1 seat occupancy rate"

*This content was translated by AI.

The 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League has significantly shortened the all-time record for the fastest game count to reach 9 million spectators, surpassing the 9th million mark for three consecutive years.

On the 11th, after completing all scheduled games, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that a total of 67,134 spectators entered five stadiums—Jamsil, Gocheok, Munhak, Gwangju, and Changwon—bringing the season's cumulative attendance to 9,049,365.

As a result, the KBO League has achieved 9 million spectators for three consecutive years since the 2024 season, marking only the third time in history this milestone has been reached. Notably, it broke through the 9th million mark in just 505 games, shaving off 23 games from the previous all-time record of 528 games set during the 2025 season, establishing a new benchmark.

This season, the KBO League has maintained explosive popularity, breaking records for the fastest game count to reach every milestone from 10 thousand won to 9 million spectators. With a faster and steeper pace than last year (which opened the unprecedented era of over 12 million spectators with 12,312,519 attendees), the league is now on track to surpass 10 million spectators for three consecutive years.

As of the 11th, average attendance stood at 17,920 per game, representing approximately a 6% increase compared to the same period last year (16,904 spectators).

In cumulative attendance by team, LG leads with 1,183,556 spectators, followed by Samsung (1,144,271) and Doosan (1,067,273), making three teams already surpass the 1st million mark. Lotte (979,127) and SSG (912,086) are also approaching the 1st million milestone. The team with the highest year-over-year home attendance growth rate is NC, at 18% (613,362 spectators).

In terms of average attendance per game, Samsung tops the list with 23,352 spectators, followed by LG (22,761) and Doosan (21,345), maintaining an average of over 20,000 spectators per game for all three teams.

The sellout momentum across stadiums nationwide is equally fierce. Out of 505 total games, more than half—260 games (approximately 51%)—have been sold out. Hanwha leads with 41 sellouts, closely followed by Samsung (40) and LG (36).

Finally, the league-wide average seat occupancy rate for this season has reached 86.5%. On a team-by-team basis, Samsung boasts an astonishing 99.3% occupancy rate, securing first place. Hanwha (98.4%) and LG (95.8%) also demonstrate intense fan enthusiasm with occupancy rates exceeding 90%.

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*This content was translated by AI.