The Melon Music Awards has locked the complete MMA2026 lineup, and it is the biggest in the show’s history: 26 acts across two nights at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15.
The final 11 performers were confirmed on Oct. 14, closing a roster that now stretches from a reunited I.O.I to aespa, IVE, NCT DREAM, NCT 127, ATEEZ, RIIZE, PLAVE and ILLIT. It is the first two-day edition in the 18-year run of the Melon Music Awards, and for US fans the first question is the practical one: which night is your artist on?
MMA2026 Dates, Venue and Start Time
Melon announced the last group of acts on Oct. 14, adding I.O.I, aespa, IVE, Dragon Pony, KiiiKiii, CORTIS, IDID, hrtz.wav, AEN, TUIDE and HANA to the 15 acts revealed earlier. That brings the total to 26 teams, split into 14 acts on night one and 12 on night two.
Both shows take place at Gocheok Sky Dome and start at 6 p.m. KST. KakaoBank is the title sponsor, and this year’s theme is “K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse,” built around the idea of fans worldwide connecting through K-pop.
In US time, that 6 p.m. KST start lands around 4 a.m. ET and 1 a.m. PT, so American viewers are looking at a pre-dawn Saturday and Sunday watch. No run time or end time for either night has been announced.
MMA2026 Day 1 Lineup (Nov. 14): I.O.I, aespa, NCT DREAM
Night one carries 14 acts and the weekend’s emotional centerpiece. I.O.I performs on Nov. 14, roughly nine years after the group’s previous activities, making the reunion one of the most closely watched moments of this year’s K-pop awards season. The Oct. 14 reveal was the closing piece of a lineup Melon had been building in stages, with 15 acts confirmed before the final 11.
- NCT DREAM
- ATEEZ
- YENA
- RIIZE
- TWS
- RESCENE
- Hearts2Hearts
- I.O.I
- aespa
- Dragon Pony
- IDID
- AEN
- TUIDE
- HANA
aespa arrives with the strongest US chart credential on the bill. The group’s second full-length album, LEMONADE, was released in May and reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200, according to Kakao Entertainment. HANA, the Japanese girl group on the opening night, rounds out a Day 1 roster that moves between veteran acts, chart headliners and newer names.
MMA2026 Day 2 Lineup (Nov. 15): IVE, NCT 127, CORTIS
- NCT 127
- PLAVE
- 82MAJOR
- NCT WISH
- ILLIT
- ALPHA DRIVE ONE
- LNGSHOT
- AND2BLE
- IVE
- KiiiKiii
- CORTIS
- hrtz.wav
IVE walks into the ceremony in the middle of a comeback cycle. The group’s mini-album LOOKS CAN KILL arrives Oct. 26, following a pre-release track on Oct. 19, which puts MMA2026 about three weeks into the new era.
CORTIS brings a longer-running story. Its song REDRED has held a top-three spot on Melon’s monthly chart for four consecutive months, according to Kakao Entertainment. Night two also stacks two NCT units, NCT 127 and NCT WISH, alongside NCT DREAM on night one, so the group’s fandoms will be watching three separate stages across the weekend.
Why 26 Acts Across Two Nights Is a Bigger Deal
MMA has traditionally run as a single-night show. Expanding to two nights and filling Gocheok Sky Dome both evenings is a structural change for the 18th edition, and Melon describes the lineup as spanning established groups and emerging performers. That mix is the point: a reunion act, global headliners, a Japanese girl group and a wave of newer names all share the same bill.
The global push is just as visible in the awards themselves. A new Global TOP10 category is tied to the Global-K Chart, an integrated Korea, China and Japan music index launched by Melon with Tencent Music and LINE Music, designed to give international fans a direct stake in the results. Kakao Entertainment said the expanded event will also include an online fan community where international audiences can post messages supporting participating artists.
How to Watch MMA2026 From the US
Overseas viewers can watch on YouTube via the Melon or 1theK channels, according to Melon’s official event page, though some countries are excluded. Regional broadcasts include Melon and Wavve in South Korea, U-NEXT in Japan and TVBS in Taiwan.
The Global TOP10 category is described as the “Top 10 most-loved artists worldwide,” weighted at 60% chart performance, 20% panel review and 20% fan votes, with an evaluation period running from May 11 to Oct. 14, 2026. Other honors range from the main Album, Artist and Song of the Year awards to Best Group, Best OST and special categories including Global Impact Artist, Global Rising Artist and 1theK Icon.
Two categories are decided entirely by fan voting on outside platforms: Japan Favorite Artist by U-NEXT, voted through the Japanese streaming service, and KakaoBank Everyone’s Star, voted inside the KakaoBank mobile app.
What Fans Should Watch Before Nov. 14
A few dates sit between now and the ceremony. IVE’s pre-release single lands Oct. 19 and LOOKS CAN KILL follows on Oct. 26. The “Catch the Timing” promotion, run through Melon, stays open through Nov. 4 and offers a chance at 224 invitations to MMA2026 along with prizes including laptops, vacuum cleaners and department store gift certificates.
Several pieces remain unconfirmed: ticket details for international fans, the full list of countries excluded from the YouTube stream, setlists, performance order and any special or collaborative stages. Nominees and winners have not been announced either.
The biggest open question may be how much fan votes actually shift the Global TOP10, since votes carry 20% of that formula while chart data carries 60%. Whether the livestream reaches US viewers, and how I.O.I’s reunion stage comes together after nearly a decade, are the two details to track as Nov. 14 gets closer.