Dates, Start Times and Venue

Why does a Korean awards show keep leaving Korea? Because MAMA was built to travel. CJ ENM has staged it across Asia for years, and after two nights at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong last year, the 2026 edition moves to Japan, to Kyocera Dome Osaka, on two consecutive nights:

• Chapter 1: Friday, November 20, starting at 6 p.m. JST (also 6 p.m. in Seoul)
• Chapter 2: Saturday, November 21, starting at 3 p.m. JST

Each night has its own lineup and its own ticket, so check which chapter your favorite plays before you plan anything else. This year's concept is "A MUSIC INTERSTELLAR," which explains the space imagery in the main teaser, and Visa is the title sponsor.

The show also comes with a new fan event. MAMA FAN FESTA runs from November 9 to 21, with programs online through Mnet Plus and in person around Osaka, so the two days at the dome are the finale of a longer stretch rather than a one-off.

We will update this guide at the same address as new names are confirmed, including the hosts, who had not been announced at the time of writing.

Chapter 1, November 20: Who Performs

The performers have been announced in two rounds so far, on October 13 and October 16. Here is the Chapter 1 lineup as it stands:

• ALLDAY PROJECT
• ALPHA DRIVE ONE
• BABYMONSTER
• CL
• ENHYPEN
• Hearts2Hearts
• ILLIT
• INI
• LNGSHOT
• MODYSSEY
• NCT WISH
• RESCENE
• TREASURE
• Dancers from Mnet's Street World Fighter: Directors' War

The first night leans toward the generation that has defined the last two years: BABYMONSTER, ILLIT, NCT WISH and Hearts2Hearts, with ENHYPEN and TREASURE as the most established groups on the bill. Two names stand out for longtime fans. CL returns to the MAMA stage after a long absence, and INI, the Japanese boy group formed through the Japanese edition of the Produce 101 audition series, plays to a home crowd.

Many of these artists will already have played Seoul the week before. ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Hearts2Hearts, ILLIT, LNGSHOT, NCT WISH and RESCENE are also on the bill at the Melon Music Awards at Gocheok Sky Dome on November 14 and 15; our Melon Music Awards lineup guide has who plays which night there.

Chapter 2, November 21: BIGBANG, IVE and More

The second night is the one with the headline. BIGBANG, marking 20 years since their debut, perform as a full group, their first full-group MAMA stage in about two years. Around them, the Chapter 2 lineup so far:

• &TEAM
• BIGBANG
• CORTIS
• Hwasa
• IVE
• izna
• KiiiKiii
• KO1KEYZ
• LE SSERAFIM
• Nayeon
• WOODZ
• ZEROBASEONE

The mix is wide. IVE and LE SSERAFIM bring two of the biggest girl-group fandoms in Japan, &TEAM performs on home ground, and CORTIS and KiiiKiii represent the newest wave. Solo acts get room too: TWICE's Nayeon, MAMAMOO's Hwasa and WOODZ each have a slot of their own.

One thing people keep searching for: BTS and BLACKPINK are among this year's nominees, but neither appears on the performer lineup announced so far. The organizers have hinted that more names are coming, so the full picture may change before the show.

Presenters, Nominees and Fan Voting

On October 22 the organizers named a first group of 25 presenters, a list that runs from Korean film and drama to sport and Japanese screen. It includes Kim Hye-soo, Lee Junho, Kim You-jung, Lee Chae-min, Jang Keun-suk, Hwang Min-hyun, Ong Seong-wu, Jo Yuri, volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung and Japanese actor Shunsuke Michieda. Which presenter appears on which night has not been announced.

The nominees were revealed in a broadcast on October 12. Artist of the Year includes aespa, BTS, BLACKPINK, IVE, Stray Kids and TOMORROW X TOGETHER among others. Best Male Group lists ATEEZ, BIGBANG, BTS, CORTIS, ENHYPEN, NCT WISH, Stray Kids and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and Best Female Group lists aespa, BABYMONSTER, BLACKPINK, Hearts2Hearts, ILLIT, IVE, LE SSERAFIM and NMIXX. Album of the Year is open only to albums that sold more than a million copies.

Fans decide the FANS' CHOICE awards. The first round has closed, and the 20 most-voted artists in each of the male and female categories move on to the second round, which runs on Mnet Plus from October 28 at 6 p.m. KST to November 18 at 11:59 p.m. KST. In the second round, Mnet Plus votes count for 90 percent and votes on X for 10 percent.

Tickets, Getting There and How to Watch

Tickets. Official tickets are sold through Qoo10 Japan. Reserved seats cost 25,000 yen per chapter, plus fees of about 1,100 yen per ticket; premium seats have already sold out. Sales run in lottery rounds: the second presale closed on October 25, with results due on October 28. A general sale is expected to open on November 12 at noon JST; check the Qoo10 page for the latest round. The limit is two tickets per person per chapter. Tickets are electronic, and the name on the order is checked against ID at the door, so resold tickets may be refused. Children under three cannot enter.

Getting there. Kyocera Dome Osaka has three nearby stations. Dome-mae Chiyozaki on the Osaka Metro Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line puts you right beside the dome, Dome-mae on the Hanshin Namba Line is a minute or two away, and Taisho on the JR Osaka Loop Line is about a seven-minute walk. Expect long queues at every station after the show, and give yourself extra time on the way in, especially for the Friday evening start.

How to watch. Both nights stream live worldwide on Mnet Plus. In Japan, the show airs on Mnet Japan and streams on Mnet Smart+. The 6 p.m. JST start on November 20 is 5 p.m. in Taipei, 9 a.m. in London and 4 a.m. in New York; the 3 p.m. start on November 21 is three hours earlier in each city.

If you are building a longer K-pop trip, the Korean side of the season comes first: the KGMA at Gocheok Sky Dome on November 7 and 8, the Melon Music Awards a week later, and the broadcaster festivals in our guide to year-end K-pop concerts in Seoul.