BTS world tour sparks political intervention as Mexico president asks for more dates: 'Everyone wants to go'

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has formally asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to help arrange additional concerts by global K-pop superstars BTS, citing overwhelming demand from young fans in Mexico. The extraordinary request highlights just how fervent the support is for the band’s return to live performance after a multi-year hiatus.

She further elaborated on the scale of the demand, saying: “Around 1 million young people want to buy tickets, but there are only 150,000 tickets available,” underscoring the intense interest ahead of BTS’s first full world tour in years.

Alongside the album release, the group is set to launch the Arirang World Tour, which will be their first full world tour since the Permission to Dance on Stage run in 2021–22. The tour is scheduled to begin on 9 April 2026 in Goyang, South Korea, and will include more than 80 dates across 34 cities in 23 countries, spanning Asia, North America, South America, Europe and Oceania through early 2027.

Despite this already ambitious schedule, the Mexican government’s request to add more shows in Mexico City highlights how special the country’s fandom is for BTS. Mexico is recognised as one of the largest and most passionate BTS fanbases in the world — a fandom widely known as ARMY.

Official tickets originally went on sale through Ticketmaster Mexico, with prices ranging from about 1,800 pesos to 17,800 pesos (approximately $100 to $1,030). However, on resale platforms prices soared to between 11,300 and 92,100 pesos (more than $5,300), further exacerbating complaints from fans who were unable to secure tickets through official channels.

Profeco has suggested that reforms to concert ticketing rules in Mexico may be necessary to prevent similar issues in the future, including clearer pricing and information standards for buyers.

President Sheinbaum has also engaged with OCESA, the concert promoter behind the Mexico City dates, in hopes of expanding availability or providing alternative access such as public screens for fans who cannot attend in person. However, organisers have indicated that the band’s already packed international itinerary makes adding dates challenging.

Despite the limited number of shows, demand has been extraordinary. Young fans have called the situation “historic,” and the Mexican president’s public advocacy for her nation’s youth reflects how deeply BTS’s global appeal has permeated society.

Ahead of the official tour, album pre-orders for Arirang have also broken records, surpassing 4 million copies in one week — a figure higher than any previous BTS release within a comparable period.

The diplomatic appeal by Mexico’s president to bring more BTS shows to her country demonstrates the scale of interest that the band continues to command worldwide.