[Official Announcement] '703 → 684 games' Reduced again! KBO League hits 12 million spectators for second consecutive year... Only 240,000 short of all-time record

*This content was translated by AI.

Reaching 12 million spectators is no longer just a fleeting surge. The KBO League, which ushered in the era of 10 million spectators for the first time in history in 2024, surpassed 12 million people for the first time last year and reached the same milestone at an even faster pace this year.

The KBO officially announced on the 1st, following the conclusion of games, that "a total of 78,622 spectators attended 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season games held at four stadiums in Jamsil, Daegu, Incheon, and Gwangju, bringing the cumulative season attendance to 12,069,596."

This marks the second consecutive year of surpassing 12 million spectators. The pace has accelerated compared to last year. While it took 703 games for the KBO League to break through 12 million spectators for the first time in history last year, this year's milestone was achieved in just 684 games, shortening the duration by a remarkable 19 games.

The record-breaking march began from the start of the season. On April 10, just 14 days after the opening, attendance surpassed 10 thousand won across 55 games. Subsequently, all attendance milestones in increments of 10 thousand won, from 2 million to 12 million, were set in a record-low number of games. Even after surpassing 11 million spectators on September 12, the enthusiasm did not wane, and an additional 10 thousand won fans were drawn in within just 58 games.

Until 2024, 10 million spectators remained an uncharted territory for Korean professional baseball. At that time, the KBO League surpassed the previous record of 8,406,880 set in 2017 to open the era of 10 million spectators for the first time in history. The following year, with a total attendance of 12,312,519 and an average of 17,101 per game, it immediately opened the era of 12 million as well.

This year shows signs of surpassing even that record. As of the 1st, the average attendance per game stands at 17,646, exceeding last year's all-time high of 17,101. The popularity is not concentrated solely on a few popular teams either. Among the 10th teams, seven—LG, Hanwha, SSG, Samsung, Lotte, KIA, and Doosan—have already surpassed 10 thousand won home spectators.

Samsung attracted the largest number of spectators with 1,597,050, while LG also broke through 1.5 million with 1,503,488. Doosan is also on the verge of reaching 1.5 million with 1,483,772. Compared to the same number of home games last year, attendance rose in several regions, including NC, which increased by 16% from 721,845 to 840,620, and KIA, which grew by 15% from 1,054,120 to 1,217,388.

The streak of sold-out games continues. Of the 684th games played, 319, or approximately 47%, were sold out. The league-wide seat occupancy rate is a remarkable 85%. Samsung recorded a 99.3% seat occupancy rate with 54 of its 68 home games sold out, while Hanwha reached 95.5% and LG hit 93.1%.

These are figures that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. The KBO League started from 6,076,074 spectators in 2022, when normal spectator entry resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic, and has drawn a steep upward curve. Now, attention turns again to the all-time record. Only about 240,000 spectators remain to reach last year's mark of 12,312,519.

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*This content was translated by AI.