- BTS’s V hinted at a potential 2026 India tour stop with a lighthearted comment
- BTS prepares their first group album and global tour since military hiatus.
- High fan demand persists, although there is no official confirmation from HYBE yet.
A brief greeting from a BTS member has ignited speculation that India could join the South Korean pop group's first world tour in years.
Kim Taehyung, known professionally as V, addressed Indian fans during a Dec. 27 livestream on fan platform Weverse, saying "Namaste, Indian ARMYs. See you next year."
The comment prompted hashtags including #BTSinIndia to trend across social platforms, though neither the seven-member group nor HYBE, the global entertainment company that manages BTS's music and business operations, has confirmed tour dates or locations.
The speculation comes as BTS prepares to release its first album in nearly four years in spring 2026. All seven members—RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, Jungkook, and V—completed mandatory South Korean military service by June 2025.
BTS India Tour 2026: Growing Industry Interest
India represents a potentially significant market for the group. BTS canceled a planned Mumbai concert in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and hasn't performed in the country since. The Indian fanbase, known collectively as ARMY, ranks among the group's largest outside South Korea.
The interest in India for the K-Pop industry extends beyond BTS. Galaxy Corp., the agency representing the South Korean artist G-Dragon, is conducting market research for a potential expansion into India, though no launch date has been set.
The timing aligns with a broader expansion of India's live entertainment sector. The country's organized live events industry reached Rs 142 billion ($1.68 billion) in 2024, according to a FICCI-EY Media & Entertainment Report, and is projected to grow at 18% annually through 2027. India hosted 70 to 80 large-format concerts with audiences exceeding 10,000 in 2024, four times the number seen five years earlier.
Recent international concerts demonstrate the market's capacity. Coldplay's January 2025 performances in Ahmedabad drew 222,000 attendees across two nights and generated an estimated Rs 641 crore ($76 million) in economic impact, according to the report. Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, and Imagine Dragons also performed to sold-out Indian crowds in 2024.
However, despite the growing streaming numbers, India has yet to host major K-pop acts from what the industry calls the "Big Four" entertainment agencies—HYBE, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment. Lower ticket prices compared to markets in East Asia and North America have historically limited India's appeal for high-production touring acts. This could change if BTS' potential tour is a success.
