BTS is headlining the 2026 World Cup final halftime show — and the ARIRANG era just went fully, undeniably global. Welcome to BTS Daily Podcast. I am still on the floor about this World Cup news, and we haven’t even gotten to Jungkook breaking Spotify records yet. We’ve got the halftime show, a big Busan anniversary question, a wild hacking story, and HYBE reinventing itself again. Ten years of being ARMY, and this is the timeline we ended up in. Let’s go. Shim Sun-ah, writing in Yonhap News Agency:
K-pop supergroup BTS will perform at the halftime show of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, organizers said Thursday, along with global pop icons Madonna and Shakira. The South Korean group will co-headline the Super Bowl-style halftime show at the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, according to FIFA and Global Citizen, a New York-based international civic group.
Okay, this one is real, and it is massive — Yonhap is reporting that BTS will co-headline the halftime show at the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on July 19th, alongside Madonna and Shakira. FIFA and Global Citizen confirmed it officially. MetLife Stadium. July 19th. Jungkook on that stage in front of the entire planet — I need a minute. This is the biggest single performance stage in the world right now. And worth noting, this is the first time a halftime show has ever been staged at a World Cup final. BTS isn’t just performing, they’re making history with the format itself. BigHit confirmed the statement, so this is locked. Madonna, Shakira, and BTS. That lineup is genuinely insane. Global Citizen picked the right moment to go all in. This one's from MK:
BTS will hold the Busan stop of its ARIRANG World Tour at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Geoje-dong, Yeonje District, Busan, on June 12 and 13. It comes about three months after the group held a comeback show for the release of its fifth full-length album, Arirang, at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on March 21.
After Mexico City turned that world tour into a full spectacle, the ARIRANG tour is coming home — Busan, June 12th and 13th, right on the debut anniversary. Busan Asiad Main Stadium, sold out, and the city is already buzzing a full month out. June 13th on the debut date specifically — HYBE knew exactly what they were doing. ARMY is going to be an absolute wreck in the best possible way. And the Busan connection isn’t random — this is the same stadium from the 2022 World Expo bid concert, so it’s a full-circle moment. The article makes a point about Busan representing a more everyday, grounded face of Korea versus Seoul’s symbolic center, and honestly, that framing lands. Also, Jungkook is from Busan. I’m just putting that out there. That stage is going to hit different for him, and everybody knows it. From The Marquee:
Jungkook officially surpassed 10.9 billion cumulative Spotify streams across all credits. - He is the first K-pop solo artist and the fastest Asian artist to hit this milestone. - The solo track 'My Time' (Time Difference) surpassed 300 million Spotify streams. - This is Jungkook's 10th individual track to reach the 300 million stream mark.
Okay, I need everyone to stop what they’re doing — Jungkook just became the first K-pop solo artist to hit 10.9 billion cumulative Spotify streams. Billion. With a B. And he’s doing this while serving in the military. The man is literally in uniform and still rewriting K-pop streaming history. ‘My Time’ crossing 300 million is what’s getting me — that’s his tenth solo track to hit that mark. Tenth! Jungkook stans were not wrong. First K-pop soloist, fastest Asian artist — those are records that are going to be very hard to touch for a long time. The catalog is just built different. Here's Chae Yun-hwan at Yonhap News Agency:
A Chinese national, who led a hacking scheme that targeted K-pop group BTS member Jungkook and South Korean business executives, has been extradited to South Korea from Thailand, the justice ministry said Wednesday. The 40-year-old arrived at Incheon International Airport on Tuesday from Bangkok to be handed over to police for investigation over allegations of stealing over 38 billion won (US$25.4 million) from the victims, according to the ministry.
This one is verified, official, and honestly pretty alarming — Yonhap is reporting that a Chinese national has been extradited from Thailand to South Korea for leading a hacking ring that targeted Jungkook and a bunch of Korean business executives, stealing over 25 million US dollars in total. They tried to open unauthorized brokerage accounts in Jungkook’s name and liquidate over eight billion won worth of his Hybe shares. That is not a small smash-and-grab — that is a whole operation. The good news, and it matters, is BigHit moved fast enough to block the losses on Jungkook’s end. The broader ring hit government databases going back to 2023, so Jungkook was one target among many, not the sole focus. The fact that they had his personal financial data detailed enough to open brokerage accounts in his name, though? That part keeps me up at night. Like, what else did they have access to? From Music Business Worldwide:
HYBE unveiled a new corporate identity, updating its official mission and branding as the South Korean entertainment giant looks to become “an entertainment lifestyle platform company built on both music and technology.” The company’s new mission statement — “Discover a New Universe, Unlock an Immersive Journey” — replaces its previous mission, “We believe in Music,” which HYBE said will be retained internally by its music divisions as a guiding principle.
HYBE just dropped a full corporate rebrand — new logo, new mission statement, the whole package. They’re positioning themselves as an entertainment lifestyle platform company built on music and technology, which is a very long way of saying they want to be much more than a label. Okay, but they quietly retired ‘We Believe in Music,’ and I felt that personally. That tagline was BTS-era energy. ‘Discover a New Universe’ sounds like they’re selling NFTs. Weverse hitting 13 million monthly active users and finally turning profitable — that’s the real story here. HYBE isn’t just rebranding for vibes, they’re telling investors the superfan platform actually works now. And Goldman Sachs saying superfans could add four billion dollars to the music industry means HYBE is very much in the right place at the right time. I just hope ‘immersive experiences’ means more Yoongi content and not more expensive digital collectibles. Got thoughts, story tips, or a correction we should make? Send them our way at btsdailyfacast at lantern podcasts dot com. We’re always trying to keep BTS updates careful, clear, and rumor-free.
If something in today’s run made you want the full context, we’ve put links to every story in the show notes so you can read straight from the source. Thanks for spending part of your Thursday with us. That’s BTS Daily Podcast for today. This is a Lantern Podcast.