BTS Reaps the Benefits of Its World Cup Effect, with Search Volume Surging Fourfold
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- 2026-07-23 08:46:26
- Updated
- 2026-07-23 08:46:26
[Financial News] BTS appears to have fully benefited from its World Cup final halftime show appearance.
BTS appeared at the halftime show for the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the New York-New Jersey Stadium on the 19th, local time. It was the first halftime performance ever staged for a World Cup final. BTS took the stage as a co-headliner alongside Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber. The group performed its mega-hit "Dynamite," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
According to Google Trends on the 22nd, the search index for the keyword "BTS" on the 20th, when the World Cup final was held in Korea time, rose to about four times the usual level.
If the search index on the day of the final is set at 100, the index from July 12 to 19, just before the tournament, was around 26. Over the past year, excluding the World Cup final, the highest search index for "BTS" came in mid-March, when the group made a comeback with its fifth full-length album "Arirang." At that time, the index reached 54.
Regional search trends also supported the finding. After the halftime show, search volume rose sharply even in Europe, South America and Africa, where K-pop usually accounts for a relatively small share of searches.
The performance effect was also reflected in music streaming numbers. According to Spotify, the world's largest music streaming platform, BTS's songs were played more than 30 million times on the day of the match, the highest streaming total among the halftime show performers. In particular, streams of "Dynamite" jumped 105% from before the performance.
Meanwhile, BTS wrapped up its European tour on the 18th with the final show of "BTS World Tour Arirang in Paris" at Stade de France in Paris, France. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife attended the concert on the 17th, drawing attention.
BTS held 10 concerts in five European cities, including Madrid, Brussels, London, Munich and Paris, meeting a total of 717,000 fans. The group will continue its North American tour at MetLife Stadium in New York on Aug. 1-2.
[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter