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Can BTS’s global tour rival Taylor Swift’s record-setting earnings? Some analysts think so.

Published: 27 Feb. 2026, 05:00 Updated: 27 Feb. 2026, 12:21

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

A BTS concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Nov. 28, 2021. [YONHAP]

With tickets for BTS’s upcoming world tour sold out across 41-plus locations, analysts project that the K-pop powerhouse’s biggest comeback tour could become one of the world’s highest-grossing runs, rivaling Taylor Swift’s.

Kim Yu-hyuk, an analyst at IBK Investment & Securities, estimates that the "Arirang" world tour will bring in at least 2.7 trillion won ($1.87 billion) in sales and 487 billion won in profit.

The prediction, which Kim said was based on "highly conservative margins for both concerts and merchandise sales," estimates that the boy band will draw an average of 64,000 attendees to each concert, for a total attendance of 6 million, up from the previously estimated 4.5 million.

IM Securities analyst Hwang Ji-won also predicted the concert to generate 1.5 trillion won on ticket sales alone, as well as 500 billion won in merchandise revenue.

"You can probably expect the band to complete up to 100 performances when you consider the yet-to-be-announced concert dates in 2027," Hwang said.

Such figures would closely match those of "The Eras Tour", which became the first tour to surpass the $2 billion milestone, outearning legendary artists like Coldplay, Elton John and Ed Sheeran.

“2026 will be a year where HYBE can prove itself with numbers, as BTS’s world tour is expected to have at least 88 performances that will bring over 5.12 million concertgoers,” said Heungkuk Securities analyst Song Ji-won.

Boy band BTS poses in front of Gyeongbok Palace. [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

BTS returns

BTS is scheduled to officially end its hiatus, caused by the members' mandatory military service, on March 20 with the release of its fifth full-length album, “Arirang.” The release will be paired with a world tour of the same name, which is expected to be larger in scale than the “Map of the Soul Tour,” the stadium tour that was canceled following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The “BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’” is set to kick off with a three-day concert at the Goyang Sports Complex Main Stadium in Gyeonggi on April 9, 11 and 12, and will set the pace for a 70-show itinerary in 2026. The tour includes multi-night bookings in many of the world’s renowned stadiums and high-capacity concert venues. Notable stops include four nights at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, two nights at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The band is also scheduled to have its first performances in South America, with two nights each in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and three nights in Brazil.

The “Arirang” tour is planned as an "in the round" performance — where the main stage is 360 degrees and is positioned at the center of the venue, surrounded by the audience on all sides for maximum occupancy. This seating arrangement removes any “restricted view” seats or seats that would be wasted behind a screen.

The sheer scale of the tour had multiple analysts updating their projections for BigHit Music, the band's agency and a subsidiary of HYBE.

“We are increasing the estimated yearly revenue of HYBE to 580.1 billion won in 2026, an increase of 1,062.7 percent year-on-year and 67.8 percent higher than the previous estimation,” Kim said in his report released Feb. 13.

“This is due to an increased performance presumption of BTS’s world tour.”

The band’s official light stick is also expected to fuel the agency's revenue, as the renewed version of the item was announced earlier this month. The fourth iteration of the light stick, released almost six years after the third version, features advanced syncing functions and light stick coordination. As the company announced that coordination functions for the tour will only be available for the newest iteration of the light stick, fans are incentivized to purchase the upgrade to ensure participation in performances.

Tourists take a photo in front of a promotion for BTS's new album, "Arirang," at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 22. [YONHAP]

A boost for HYBE

The anticipated proceeds from the major tour event will propel HYBE into a rosy year, following a disappointing 2025.

For the fourth quarter alone, its operating profit decreased by 93 percent on year, which the company cited as costs related to the debut investments for its new Latin boy band Santos Bravos and marketing costs of the mobile game Architect, which cost the company 20 billion won and 15 billion won, respectively. The company also had residual costs from its restructuring of its North American business model.

Such large investments can be interpreted as the agency “preemptively removing potentially dangerous aspects” before hitting an all-time high in 2026, according to Song.

The agency’s newly debuted K-pop groups are also expected to fuel HYBE’s performance in 2026, namely with boy band Cortis and girl groups Katseye and ILLIT.

“I’ve said this many times already, but the historic debut of BigHit’s boy band Cortis should not be overlooked,” Hana Securities analyst Lee Ki-hoon said, noting that the band’s debut album sales match those of the big-name K-pop boy bands.

“Good music, paired with tailored promotions are synergizing, and they would be capable of starting a tour by the end of this year.”

Similarly, Katseye, which completed its first North American tour late last year, is expected to “double or triple” its tour size this year, according to analysts.

“BTS’s world tour is expected to reflect [on HYBE’s earnings] until the second quarter of 2027, at least, so we shouldn’t worry about the company’s earnings for a while,” Lee said.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]