The KBO League has surpassed 11 million fans for the second consecutive year. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) reported that 80,942 fans attended games held on September 12 at four stadiums, including Jamsil, Daegu, Suwon, and Gocheok, bringing the season's total attendance to 11,049,504.
This record was achieved in just 626 games, 17 games faster than last year's milestone of surpassing 11 million fans in 643 games.
The attendance surge began right after the season opener. The KBO League reached 1 million fans in just 55 games, the fastest in history. Since then, it has consistently set new records for the fewest games needed to reach each million milestone.
During this period, the league also attracted 7 million fans in the first half of the season, marking the second-highest attendance for that period. Additionally, it has recorded three consecutive seasons of surpassing 10 million fans.
Indicators of fan engagement and density are also on the rise. The average attendance per game is 17,651, surpassing last season's record of 17,101. The overall seat occupancy rate stands at 85.2%.
The trend of sellouts continues, with 298 of the 626 games played so far being sold out, accounting for 47.6% of all games. The record for the most sellouts in a season is within reach, with the previous record set at 331 games last year. There are still 94 regular-season games remaining, and if more than 34 of these sell out, a new record will be established.
Performance by individual teams is also notable. Seven teams, including the Samsung Lions, LG Twins, Hanwha Eagles, SSG Landers, Lotte Giants, KIA Tigers, and Doosan Bears, have surpassed 1 million fans at home.
Leading the way is Samsung, with an attendance of 1,453,477. LG follows closely with 1,432,238 fans. Both teams are also vying to surpass 1.5 million home fans. The record for the most home fans in a single season is held by Samsung, with 1,640,174 fans in the 2025 season.
In terms of average home game attendance, Samsung ranks first with 23,443 fans per game, followed by LG with 22,034 and Doosan with 21,291.
Samsung has the highest number of sellouts at home, with 50 games, followed by Hanwha with 47 and LG with 39. On the road, KIA leads with 51 sellouts, followed by Lotte with 45 and Samsung with 40.
Anticipation is growing for a new all-time attendance record. If 1,263,016 more fans (approximately 13,437 per game) attend the remaining 94 games, last year's record of 12,312,519 will be surpassed.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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