KBO surpasses 6 mln fans in record-breaking fashion

SEOUL, June 17 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean baseball league topped 6 million fans for the 2026 season in record-breaking fashion Wednesday.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the total attendance for the season reached 6,066,775 after five games on Wednesday, getting to the 6 million mark in 334 games to beat the previous record of 350 from 2025.

The KBO set a single-season record in 2025 with over 12.3 million fans and remains on pace to break that mark in 2026.

So far this year, the KBO has cleared every million milestone in a record-setting pace.

Fans watch a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game between the NC Dinos and the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, in this May 21, 2026, file photo. (Yonhap)

The five games played Wednesday drew a total of 79,375 fans, including 22,915 fans at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu for the game between the Kiwoom Heroes and the Samsung Lions.

This year marks the third time in KBO history that the league drew over 6 million fans before the All-Star break in July.

Through Wednesday, teams are drawing 18,164 fans per game, up from 16,979 fans per game at this point a season ago.

This season, nine out of the 10 teams have seen their average home attendance increase from 2025. The Hanwha Eagles, having sold out 29 out of 31 home games at 17,000-seat Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, have played at 99.8 percent capacity.

The LG Twins, who are in first place in the standings, are also leading the way in attendance with 819,054 fans. They have sold out 29 of 35 games at 23,750-seat Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.

The KBO has had 190 sellouts so far, and the single-season record of 331 set last year appears to be in danger.