BTS Is Back, and So Is Ticket Scalping: Prices, Dates, and Resale Scams
BTS is back, and they're bringing boy band fever with them after the announcement of their fifth album, "ARIRANG,” and fourth world tour. The group’s new music marks their collective return to the big stage after serving their mandatory military service. BTS fans (ARMY) are scrambling for the coveted tickets despite tour date blues, queuing madness, and ticket scalping. Ticketing platforms haven't seen this much action surrounding a boy band since One Direction's "Where We Are" Tour in 2014, and for good reason.
"ARIRANG” will be BTS’s first studio album in three years, and fans are frothing at the mouth to get a taste. The news of their return broke after BigHit Music posted the group's plans on Weverse, a social media-style app where artists can communicate directly with fans. BTS’s highly anticipated world tour, which will extend from 2026 to 2027, was announced on January 13th. The album is scheduled to hit shelves on March 20th, featuring 14 tracks with hands-on involvement in production and creative input from the BTS members.
The tour starts in Asia on April 9th in Goyang, South Korea, and ends in Manila, Philippines, on March 14th, 2027. The global run spans 79 shows across Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia. Concert stages will be designed in a 360-degree configuration to optimize viewership and to minimize the likelihood of obstructed views. The official tour poster released by BigHit Music specifies that additional tour dates will be announced in 2027, expanding the tour in Japan and to the Middle East.
Disappointment over tour dates
Though excitement for the tour erupted across the BTS fanbase, some ARMYs were disappointed to discover their cities were not among the 2026 or early 2027 tour dates. The limited locations caused frustration for fans who worried they would miss the highly anticipated tour. Certain cities in Canada, Brazil, and Europe felt overlooked by BigHit Music.
Official tour dates released by BigHit Music.
The frustration started with European fans who voiced their complaints on social media. They expressed that BigHit was underestimating the size of BTS's European fanbase. The fans requested that the tour be expanded past cash cow capitals like London, Munich, Brussels, and Madrid. Disappointed commenters had this to say about the situation:
“Same in UK, only in London, their [sic] is 4 capitals [sic] in UK and many stadiums, they just go where the money is.”
“Same here in Germany. Only 2 dates and both in Munich …. How come???”
Additional questions soon poured in about the single tour date in Canada. BTS's presence in the Maple Country will be limited to a weekend stint in Rogers Stadium in Toronto, Ontario. Fans quickly took to the internet to express dissatisfaction that their favorite boy band wouldn't be in other populated cities, such as Montreal or Vancouver. Brazilians joined the growing number of fans who wished for more than just more tour dates, as BTS is only going to Buenos Aires.
“I'm a Canadian fan, and what frustrates me is that Hybe only ever chooses Toronto as a tour stop in Canada, and ignores the rest of the country.”
“Its the same here in Brazil. Im from São Paulo myself, and im lucky that all international shows when they stop in the country, they stop here, but when they open to more cities, is usually only to Rio de Janeiro.”
These complaints didn't stop tickets from selling out at record-breaking speeds. The group sold out 44 stadium shows in less than an hour. They now hold the title of the fastest-selling act at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for a world tour. They sold out four dates in 23 minutes, which is faster than the previous record holder, Taylor Swift, who sold out two shows in 3 hours.
Here are other statistics related to the tour. Rogers Stadium in Toronto, which has a capacity of 50,000 people, sold out in 10 minutes. The Chicago date sold out in 14 minutes, the Tampa date in 15 minutes, and the Los Angeles date in 19 minutes.
Overpriced seating
Fans who got their hands on tickets found prices to be reasonable overall. However, a sector of Korean and Japanese ARMYs found the soundcheck overpriced. The Goyang soundcheck cost $180 (KRW 264,000), General Admission costs $150 (KRW 220,000), and General Seating costs $135 (KRW 198,000). Japanese tickets for the Tokyo concert are slightly more expensive: VIP cost $280, Super Seats or Special Seats are $220, and General Seating is $160.
Complaints about the price received varying responses, ranging from sympathetic to apathetic. Many justified the cost by reminding fans that the pricing was subject to demand – the first BTS concert in years is bound to be more expensive than the rest. ARMYs used to lower fees pointed out that the pricing did not reflect the quality of the seats. They argued against price inflation because certain seats had a poor view of the stage. Even if it's BTS, they don't want to pay for mediocrity; they want an unforgettable experience with their favorite idols.
Virtual queue drama
Only ARMYs with a Weverse membership who pre-registered on January 22nd and 23rd were granted exclusive access to the ticket pre-sale. The general sale opened to the public on January 24th in local venues and on websites like Ticketmaster and SeatGeek. Fans reported difficulties with the ticket purchasing process. Online forums lit up with stories of fans being stuck in queues for hours, receiving error messages, sudden lockouts, queues staying open even after tickets sold out, and seats that vanished when they tried to purchase them.
The virtual queues ranged from 100,000 people to 600,000 people in one instance. One fan claimed that the Munich queue included 1,500,000 people. Opposition questioned the report, identifying the screenshot the fan provided as doctored evidence. The original poster deleted their screenshot, and other German fans clarified that the real number was likely around 150,000 people. Fans on the “THE BTS TOUR IS CRAZY” Reddit thread expressed their experiences buying tickets.
“I tried to get tickets but damn 800k people were ahead of me. I lost my chance.”
“Queue of 605k people ahead of me. I just closed the tab lol not worth waiting😅 it’s probably already all sold out.”
“They are still letting people queue despite putting an update that it’s sold out and ticket sale has closed.”
Some fans also noticed that they were assigned the relatively same position each time they attempted to buy tickets. Ticketmaster claims to use a randomized system that provides fair access and browsing time. Presumably, a similar placement should not be assigned to the same customer two days in a row. The familiar positions alerted skeptics to possible rigging, which could favor resellers. However, this is only speculation.
“Oh, there's definitely something going on with ticketmaster and its queues, I got the same number for 2 presales, my friend got basically the same number for the 3 dates in Mexico City even tho she entered at different times, it's weird.”
“I was in the London queue for both dates and got approximately the same position.”
“My sister and I were side by side during today's ticketing on the same wifi. She started with 1900 and 1800 queues while I started with placing in the 20K and 30K just like the day before.”
Ticket scalping
Ticket scalping is a hot topic for every high-profile concert, so it comes as no surprise that ARMY are victims of the practice. Ticket scalping is the practice of buying tickets from the original retailer and then reselling them to potential customers for a higher price. Typically, resellers perpetrate this act by using bots to clog the virtual queue. Sporting events and concerts are common targets for resellers. Occasions such as the Super Bowl, Coachella, and Taylor Swift's "Eras" Tour are famous examples of targeted events.
Individual BTS supporters question whether suspicious activity from ticket scalpers prevented them from purchasing concert tickets. Numerous reports came from Mexican BTS fans. One Redditor living in Mexico detailed their experience in buying tickets on a Reddit thread. This person claimed that they entered the pre-sales for May 7th and 9th at 9:00 AM. They claimed they were prevented from joining the virtual queue despite having the early membership, and that they could only enter 5 minutes before the pre-sale.
Others were not allowed to enter the Mexico City presale event until it was already in full swing. Seats in the stadium sold out before fans could buy them. The tickets appeared on resale websites such as Viagogo at 9:05 AM. Ticketmaster and StubHub also allowed resellers to post tickets on their platforms. Seats that initially had a price tag of a few hundred dollars were sold again for $1,700, while VIP packages were listed at prices ranging from $5,700 to $7,400.
May 07 • Thu • 8:00 PM • 2026 — Estadio GNP Seguros Mexico City (formerly Foro Sol)
Fortunately, some ticketing platforms do not allow reselling. Korea JoongAng Daily reported on January 27th that NOL Ticket, the platform that sold tickets for the BTS Goyang concert, prohibited reselling, ticket transfers, proxy purchases, and counterfeit tickets. A violation of these rules could result in the concertgoer getting turned away at the door. BTS fans continue to ask BigHit Music and BTS to stop scalpers from snatching and reselling tickets at exorbitant prices.
BTS and BigHit Music have not yet made a statement about the ticket scalping concerns of their fans.
