The Korean Professional Baseball League (KBO), which ushered in the era of 10 million spectators in the 2024 season, is continuing its fervent popularity from the start of the 2025 preseason. On March 8th, the opening day of the KBO preseason games drew a total of 67,264 fans, setting a new record for the highest attendance at a preseason opener since the 10-team system was established.
Key Highlights:
All-Time Record Attendance: 2025 Preseason Opener: 67,264 spectators
Previous Record (2015): 36,589 spectators
Attendance by Stadium: Cheongju Stadium (Hanwha vs. Doosan): 9,000 (Sold Out)
Daegu Samsung Lions Park (Samsung vs. SSG): 20,563
Sajik Stadium (Lotte vs. KIA): 17,352
Suwon KT Wiz Park (KT vs. LG): 13,179
Changwon NC Park (NC vs. Kiwoom): 7,170
Hanwha Eagles Sell Out in Cheongju: First preseason game in Cheongju in 13 years, with all 9,000 seats sold out.
Tickets sold out in 3 to 5 minutes after ticket sales began.
Continued Surge in Professional Baseball Popularity: 2024 Regular Season Attendance: Over 10.88 million (First time surpassing 10 million)
Sustained enthusiasm from the 2025 preseason, anticipating another successful season.
Additional Information:
The Hanwha Eagles are scheduled to use a new home stadium in 2025 but are playing their preseason games at Cheongju Stadium due to ongoing preparations.
Past preseason opener attendance numbers varied depending on whether the games were held on weekdays or weekends.
The 2020 preseason was canceled due to COVID-19, and the 2021-2022 games were played without spectators.
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