2026 KBO League season
| 2026 KBO League | |
|---|---|
2026 신한 SOL Bank KBO 리그 | |
| Association | KBO |
| League | KBO League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Defending champions | LG Twins (2025) |
| Hosts | Shinhan Bank |
| Duration | March 28 – September 6 |
| Games | 144 per team |
| Teams | 10 |
| Total attendance | - |
| Average attendance | - |
| TV partner(s) | KBS, MBC, SBS & SPOTV |
| Streaming partner(s) | TVING (South Korea) SOOP Live (International) |
| Preseason | |
| First place | Lotte Giants |
| Runners-up | Doosan Bears |
| Regular season | |
| All-Star Game | |
| Postseason | |
| Korean Series | |
The 2026 KBO League season, officially known as the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League (Korean: 2026 신한 SOL Bank KBO 리그)[1] for sponsorship reasons, is an ongoing professional baseball season based in South Korea; the 45th in the history of the KBO League. The league's format and makeup did not change in the 2026 season from the previous season, with the same ten teams competing; the Kia Tigers, Doosan Bears, Lotte Giants, NC Dinos, LG Twins, Hanwha Eagles, KT Wiz, Samsung Lions, SSG Landers, and the Kiwoom Heroes.
The Twins entered the season as the defending champions from the 2025 season.
Rules
The Korea Baseball Organization announced rule changes for the 2026 season. Teams will be able to add an Asian or Australian import player to their roster alongside three foreigners. That player must have completed in Asia or in Australia in the 2025 season. KBO teams may not spend more than $200,000 in those players including salary, signing bonus and buyout fee paid to the former team.[2]
The league made changes to the pitch clock; 18 seconds will be given with bases empty and 23 seconds will be given with (a) base(s) occupied.[3]
Offseason
Shinhan Bank has agreed to serve as the title sponsor of the KBO League, until at least 2037. It is the country's largest sports sponsorship deal to date. Shinhan Bank will pay KR₩ 15 billion (US$ 77.7 million) to keep the designation during the 2028–2037 league season. Shinhan Bank has agreed to assist both the national and youth baseball teams as part of the agreement.[4]
On December 22, 2025, Song Sung-mun (3B) of the Heroes signed a four-year, $15 million deal with the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. Song will receive an additional $1 million signing bonus in two installments. Song's deal includes a $4 million player option for 2029 and a $7 million mutual option for 2030 with a $1 million buyout.[5]
On February 23, 2026 KBO announced a statement regarding four Giants players (Ko Seung-min, Kim Dong-hyeok, Kim Se-min, and Na Seung-yeop). They allegedly visited a gambling arcade during spring training in Taiwan. According to the statement, the disciplinary committee confirmed that Kim Dong-hyeok had visited the location three times since last year and was therefore suspended for 50 games. Ko Seung-min, Kim Se-min, and Na Seung-yeop who were each confirmed to have visited once were suspended for 30 games.[6]
On the same day, the Eagles signed Roh Si-hwan (3B) to an 11-year extension worth up to KR₩ 30.7 billion (US$ 21.3 million) including an option and release clause allowing him to move to the MLB via the posting system after 2026. This contract is the longest and most expensive deal in KBO history.[7]
Spring Training
All KBO teams took part in Spring Training games in Taiwan, Japan and the United States. Teams played against CPBL, NPB, and MLB teams.
| Practice Match | February 13 | Hanwha Eagles | 2–6 | Melbourne Aces | Melbourne Ballpark Victoria, Australia |
| 19:00 AEDT |
| Practice Match | February 14 | Melbourne Aces | 4–1 | Hanwha Eagles | Melbourne Ballpark Victoria, Australia |
| 19:00 AEDT |
| Practice Match | February 14 | TSG Hawks | 3–6 | Lotte Giants | Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Centers Tainan, Taiwan |
| 13:00 CST |
| Practice Match | February 15 | Hanwha Eagles | 4–4 | Melbourne Aces | Melbourne Ballpark Victoria, Australia |
| 19:00 AEDT |
| Practice Match | February 15 | TSG Hawks | 4–11 | Lotte Giants | Asia-Pacific International Baseball Training Centers Tainan, Taiwan |
| 13:00 CST |
| Practice Match | February 16 | Melbourne Aces | 7–8 | KT Wiz | Melbourne Ballpark Victoria, Australia |
| 19:00 AEDT |
| Practice Match | February 20 | KT Wiz | 6–12 | Melbourne Aces | Melbourne Ballpark Victoria, Australia |
| 19:00 AEDT |
| Practice Match | February 21 | KT Wiz | 0–4 | Melbourne Aces | Melbourne Ballpark Victoria, Australia |
| 19:00 AEDT |
| Practice Match Played in 7 innings |
February 22 | Hanwha Eagles | 0–18 | Chiba Lotte Marines | Itoman City Nishizaki Baseball Field Itowan, Japan |
| 12:30 JST |
| Practice Match | February 22 | Lotte Giants | 3–3 | Saitama Seibu Lions | Nango Stadium Nichinan, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | February 23 | Lotte Giants | 2–11 | Yomiuri Giants 2nd team | Sun Marine Stadium Miyazaki, Japan |
| 12:30 JST |
| Practice Match | February 24 | Hanwha Eagles | 8–5 | Samsung Lions | ONNA Akama Ball Park Onna, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | February 25 | SSG Landers | 1–9 | Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 2nd team | Ivy Stadium Miyazaki, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | February 25 | Doosan Bears | 3–6 | Saitama Seibu Lions | Sun Marine Stadium Miyazaki, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | February 26 | Hanwha Eagles | 3–1 | Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 2nd team | Enagic Stadium Nago Nago, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | February 26 | Kiwoom Heroes | 3–3 | TSG Hawks | Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium Kaoshiung, Taiwan |
| 15:00 CST |
| Practice Match | February 26 | Lotte Giants | Rained out | Doosan Bears | Sun Marine Stadium Miyazaki, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | February 27 | Hanwha Eagles | Rained out | Yomiuri Giants | Okinawa Cellular Stadium Naha Naha, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | February 27 | Lotte Giants | Rained out | Orix Buffaloes | SOKKEN Stadium Miyazaki, Japan |
| 12:00 JST |
| Practice Match | February 27 | Doosan Bears | Rained out | Chiba Lotte Marines | Miyakonojo Municipal Baseball Field Miyakonojo, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | February 27 | Kiwoom Heroes | 2–5 | TSG Hawks | Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium Kaoshiung, Taiwan |
| 18:00 CST |
| Practice Match | February 28 | SSG Landers | 13–4 | Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 2nd team | Okuragahama Sogo Park Miyazaki, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match Played in 11 innings |
February 28 | Samsung Lions | 2–4 | Yomiuri Giants | Okinawa Cellular Stadium Naha Naha, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | February 28 | NC Dinos | 8–8 | San Diego Padres | Peoria, Illinois, United States |
| 13:00 CST |
| Practice Match | March 1 | Hanwha Eagles | 5–0 | Kia Tigers | Kin Town Baseball Stadium Kin, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 1 | LG Twins | 7–7 | KT Wiz | Ginoza Stadium Ginoza, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 1 | Lotte Giants | 4–3 | Chiba Lotte Marines | Miyakonojo Municipal Baseball Field Miyakonojo, Japan |
| 12:30 JST |
| Practice Match | March 1 | Kiwoom Heroes | 6–14 | TSG Hawks | Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium Kaoshiung, Taiwan |
| 14:00 CST |
| Practice Match | March 1 | NC Dinos | 0–9 | Chicago White Sox | Glendale, California, United States |
| 11:00 PST |
| Practice Match | March 2 | Hanwha Eagles | 6–4 | KT Wiz | Gushikawa Baseball Field Gushikawa, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 2 | Lotte Giants | Rained out | SSG Landers | Nishikihara Baseball Stadium Miyazaki, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 2 | Samsung Lions | 3–8 | Kia Tigers | ONNA Akama Ball Park Onna, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 3 | Hanwha Eagles | 11–7 | Samsung Lions | ONNA Akama Ball Park Onna, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 3 | Lotte Giants | 5–10 | SSG Landers | Nishikihara Baseball Stadium Miyazaki, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 3 | Miyazaki Sunshine | 0–15 | Doosan Bears | Hisamine Ballpark Miyazaki, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 3 | Kiwoom Heroes | Rained out | CTBC Brothers | Pingtung CTBC Charity Park Pingtung, Taiwan |
| Practice Match Played in 10 innings |
March 3 | NC Dinos | 1–6 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Glendale, California, United States |
| 13:00 PST |
| Practice Match Played in 7 innings |
March 5 | LG Twins | 4–8 | Samsung Lions | ONNA Akama Ball Park Onna, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 5 | Doosan Bears | 5–1 | SSG Landers | Sun Marine Stadium Miyazaki, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 5 | KT Wiz | 5–2 | Kia Tigers | Kin Town Baseball Stadium Kin, Japan |
| Practice Match | March 5 | Kiwoom Heroes | 4–10 | CTBC Brothers | Pingtung CTBC Charity Park Pingtung, Taiwan |
| Practice Match | March 6 | LG Twins | 6–9 | Kia Tigers | Kin Town Baseball Stadium Kin, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 6 | SSG Landers | 5–2 | Doosan Bears | Sun Marine Stadium Miyazaki, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Practice Match | March 6 | Kiwoom Heroes | 3–5 | CTBC Brothers | Pingtung CTBC Charity Park Pingtung, Taiwan |
| Practice Match | March 7 | KT Wiz | 9–2 | Samsung Lions | ONNA Akama Ball Park Onna, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
Pre-WBC exhibition games
The South Korean national team played exhibition games in Okinawa, Japan with some KBO teams to prepare for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.[8]
| Exhibition Played in 7 innings |
February 20 | South Korea | 3–4 | Samsung Lions | ONNA Akama Ball Park Onna, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Exhibition Played in 7 innings |
February 21 | South Korea | 5–2 | Hanwha Eagles | Kochinda Sports Park Baseball Field Kochinda, Japan |
| 12:00 JST |
| Exhibition Played in 7 innings |
February 23 | South Korea | 7–4 | Hanwha Eagles | Kadena Baseball Stadium Kadena, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Exhibition Played in 7 innings |
February 24 | Kia Tigers | 3–6 | South Korea | Kadena Baseball Stadium Kadena, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Exhibition | February 26 | Samsung Lions | 6-16 | South Korea | Kadena Baseball Stadium Kadena, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
| Exhibition | February 27 | KT Wiz | Rained out | South Korea | Kadena Baseball Stadium Kadena, Japan |
| 13:00 JST |
The Chinese Taipei national team played the Heroes to prepare for the WBC and was held in Taipei, Taiwan.[9]
| Exhibition CPBL Squads (Including non-roster invitees) |
February 21 | Kiwoom Heroes | 2–2 | Chinese Taipei | Taipei Dome Taipei, Taiwan |
| Exhibition CPBL Squads (Including non-roster invitees) |
February 22 | Chinese Taipei | 2–7 | Kiwoom Heroes | Taipei Dome Taipei, Taiwan |
Preseason
The preseason started on March 12 and ended on March 24.[10][11]
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | D | PCT | GB | STRK | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lotte Giants | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | .875 | — | W2 | 7–2–1 | 0–0–0 |
| 2 | Doosan Bears | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | .667 | 1.5 | L1 | 3–1–2 | 3–0–1 |
| 3 | LG Twins | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | .556 | 2.5 | W1 | 0–0–0 | 5–1–4 |
| 4 | Samsung Lions | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 3 | L1 | 1–0–1 | 4–0–4 |
| 4 | KT Wiz | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | .500 | 3 | W3 | 4–0–2 | 0–2–2 |
| 6 | NC Dinos | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | .444 | 3.5 | L2 | 4–1–3 | 0–0–2 |
| 7 | Hanwha Eagles | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 4 | L2 | 4–0–4 | 0–0–2 |
| 7 | SSG Landers | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 4 | W1 | 2–0–4 | 2–0–2 |
| 9 | Kia Tigers | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | .375 | 4 | W1 | 2–1–1 | 1–1–4 |
| 9 | Kiwoom Heroes | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | .333 | 4.5 | L1 | 0–0–0 | 3–1–6 |
Regular season
The regular season will begin on March 28 and end on September 6. Like previous seasons, each team will play 144 games, facing every other team 16 times. Games are played every day except Mondays.[13]
Standings
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | D | PCT | GB | STRK | Home | Road | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG Twins | 0 | - | - | - | – | — | - | - | - | - | |
| Hanwha Eagles | 0 | - | - | - | – | — | - | - | - | ||
| SSG Landers | 0 | - | - | - | – | — | - | - | - | ||
| Samsung Lions | 0 | - | - | - | – | — | - | - | - | ||
| NC Dinos | 0 | - | - | - | – | — | - | - | - | ||
| KT Wiz | 0 | - | - | - | – | — | - | - | - | - | |
| Lotte Giants | 0 | - | - | - | – | — | - | - | - | ||
| Kia Tigers | 0 | - | - | - | – | — | - | - | - | ||
| Doosan Bears | 0 | - | - | - | – | — | - | - | - | ||
| Kiwoom Heroes | 0 | - | - | - | – | — | - | - | - | ||
Note: Draw results are ignored by the league when calculating win percentage and games behind.
Note: All dates and times are in KST (Korea Standard Time).
All-Star Game
Like in previous all-star games, the ten KBO teams are divided into two All-Star teams: the Nanum All-Stars (나눔) and the Dream All-Stars (드림). The game will be hosted at Seoul Sports Complex Baseball Stadium (Jamsil). The all-star game will be on July 11.
| Team | All-Star Team |
|---|---|
| Samsung Lions | Dream All-Stars |
| Doosan Bears | |
| KT Wiz | |
| SSG Landers | |
| Lotte Giants | |
| Kia Tigers | Nanum All-Stars |
| LG Twins | |
| Hanwha Eagles | |
| NC Dinos | |
| Kiwoom Heroes | |
The starting players (candidates) from each team are voted by fans and KBO players, which leads to a score. The players with the highest score are selected.
The most voted infielders and pitchers within their position group play in the game. The top 3 outfielders play in available positions, regardless if they are all on the same team.
The teams who appeared in the previous year's Korean Series provide their manager respectively for their all-star team.
Other players in the all-star vote may also appear later in the all-star game.
See also
- 2026 Major League Baseball season
- 2026 Nippon Professional Baseball season
- 2026 in baseball
References
- ^ "2026 KBO 정규시즌 경기 일정 발표". koreabaseball.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-12-19.
- ^ "First players signed under new KBO "import players quota" rule". wbsc.org. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
- ^ "KBO League Reduces Pitch Clock to 18 Seconds for 2026 Season". chosun.com. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
- ^ "Shinhan Bank retains title sponsorship of baseball's KBO League until 2037". sportcal.com. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ^ Blum, Ronald (2025-12-21). "South Korean infielder Sung-mun Song and Padres finalize a $15 million, 4-year contract". Associated Press. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ^ "Lotte Giants' Gambling Scandal Postpones Events, Scraps Content". The Chosun Daily. 2026-02-21. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
- ^ "Roh Si-hwan's 30.7 Billion Won Contract Sets New KBO Benchmark". The Chosun Daily. 2026-02-23. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
- ^ "WBC 대표팀 평가전 및 중계 일정 확정...삼성-한화-KIA-kt 등". sports.news.nate.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ "Kiwoom Heroes Wrap Taipei Visit With Practice, Cultural Tours". chosun.com. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
- ^ "2026 KBO 시범경기 일정 발표 (2026 KBO Preseason Game Schedule Announced)". Korea Baseball Organization (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-02-04.
- ^ "야구의 계절이 온다! 2026 KBO 시범경기 3월 12일 개막...팀당 12경기씩 총 60경기". chosun.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-02-04.
- ^ "KBO 시볌경기 (Exhibition game)". Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ "2026 KBO season to begin March 28". koreatimes.co.kr. Retrieved 2025-12-19.