When the ARIRANG Tour was first announced earlier this year, more than 70 concerts were scheduled across 34 cities worldwide. The 41 shows in North αмєяι¢α and Europe alone sold out within just a few hours after tickets went on sale. At many major stops, tickets were almost gone immediately after sales opened, while even stadiums with capacities of tens of thousands could not meet the overwhelming global demand.
As a result, the number of shows on BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' has now reached 88 — making it the biggest tour of BTS’s career and the largest in K-pop history in terms of stadium scale and number of concert dates!
Even so, in July this year, HYBE CEO Lee Jae Sang dropped another hint during a press conference: “There are still many dates on BTS’s world tour that have not been announced yet,” reigniting hope among fans in countries that have not yet appeared on the ARIRANG Tour map, including fans across the Middle East.
And it seems Middle Eastern fans, especially those in the UAE, should start getting ready, because there has recently been another even clearer signal suggesting that the tour announcement may be closer than ever!
Specifically, on September 17, 2026, some fans were surprised to discover that Ticketmaster UAE had changed its displayed image from the Love Yourself World Tour (2018–2019) to the ARIRANG World Tour (2026). Before this date, the page’s interface had remained unchanged for seven years, at least in the BTS World Tour section that fans had been following. The fact that the change happened precisely at this time caught fans off guard and led them to believe it could be a sign of preparations for a show in the region.
The fan who spotted the unusual change reacted: “OH MY FCKIMG GOD THEYRE 1000000% COMINF.” Other fans were equally excited, screaming: "Gets excited over her boyband touring in her country omg", "If that happened to yall I HOPE QATAR TOO", "THOSE DATES ARE SO F*CKING CLOSE IM ABOUT TO CRY", "IM LITERALLY THROWUJF UP RVERYWHHEREREE ITS ACTUALLY HAPPENING", "The middle east dates dropping soon", "Say wallah tell me this isn't a joke PLS", "UAE is on the list. I'm going crazy",...
The UAE has long been one of the places where BTS fans have hoped to see all seven members return. In 2016, BTS performed at KCON Abu Dhabi, marking one of the memorable international milestones during the group’s early career. Moreover, throughout their career so far, BTS and their Middle Eastern fans have not had many opportunities to meet on their own home ground.
The most recent time BTS held a concert in the Middle East was on October 11, 2019, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was a stop on the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself tour at King Fahd International Stadium, attended by around 30,000 fans. It was also the first-ever solo stadium concert by a foreign artist in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, hopes of BTS visiting the UAE or the Middle East had already been building for some time. Last year, Yu Ri Park, Deputy Consul General of South кσяєα in Dubai, told Khaleej Times from her personal perspective that “there is a possibility that BTS will perform in the UAE in the future.” When the World Tour was announced in January 2026, HYBE confirmed that additional dates in נαραи and the Middle East would be added in 2027, although no specific cities were named. BTS themselves have also previously mentioned the possibility of visiting the region in 2027.
Now, perhaps it is finally time for Middle Eastern fans to start saving up and get ready for the big explosion that could be coming their way!
