2026 MAMA AWARDS in Osaka: Dates, Tickets, Lineup, How to Watch

The 2026 MAMA AWARDS aren’t in Korea this year. They’re at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan on Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21. Tickets are in a Qoo10 Japan lottery presale right now, and entries close at 11:59 pm on October 18 (Japan time), so if you want to be there in person, you need to move this week.

If you can’t make it, no problem, because Mnet Plus streams the show live worldwide. Schedules and details can change on the organizer’s side, so open the Mnet Japan special page once in a while.

2026 MAMA AWARDS dates and start times

The main show starts at 6 pm on day one and 3 pm on day two. All times here are Japan time, which is the same as Korea time.

Date	Red carpet	Main show
Friday, November 20 (Chapter 1)	15:30	18:00
Saturday, November 21 (Chapter 2)	12:30	15:00

These times come from Mnet Japan, which says they may change without notice. This year’s theme is “A MUSIC INTERSTELLAR” (announced by CJ ENM).

MAMA began in 1999 as the Mnet Video Music Awards and got its current name in 2022. This is the third time it has been held at Kyocera Dome, after 2022 and 2024.

Year	Venue
2022	Kyocera Dome Osaka
2023	Tokyo Dome
2024	Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Kyocera Dome Osaka
2025	Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong
2026	Kyocera Dome Osaka

MAMA 2026 tickets: how the lottery works

Only the first presale is open so far, and it’s sold on the Qoo10 Japan special page. That page is in Japanese, and I didn’t see an English option on it. It’s a lottery rather than first come, first served. Pro tip: you don’t need to refresh all night, and that’s good news.

The presale has two tracks, and you can enter only one. The Visa presale is for Visa cardholders and you pay with a Visa card only. The FAN FESTA presale is for people who bought a FESTA SUPER PASS, and pass holders get priority in the draw for the same chapter. I couldn’t find the pass price or what it includes.

Step	Schedule (Japan time)
Entries	From Tuesday, October 13 at 12:00 to Sunday, October 18 at 23:59
Results	Wednesday, October 21 at 12:00
Payment deadline	Friday, October 23 at 23:59

Prices are per show day.

Seat	Price	Notes
Reserved seat	25,000 yen	All seated
Premium seat	35,000 yen	Closer to the stage. You must also enter for the same number of reserved seats on the same day

Each ticket also carries a 330 yen system fee, a 220 yen issuing fee and a 550 yen special sales fee. You can enter for up to two tickets of each type per day, and you can win only one type per day.

Visa says cardholders worldwide can enter this presale. You still need to sign up for Qoo10 Japan, and the name on your account becomes the name on the ticket. Once you’ve entered, you can’t cancel or get a refund, so take your time before you hit the button.

As of October 15, there’s no fan club presale or general sale date yet. I’ll update this once there is.

Rules once you have a ticket

Tickets arrive as チケプラ (Ticket Plus) e-tickets, and your seat number appears at 1 pm the day before the show. Your identity is checked at the entrance, so the person who applied has to be the one who goes. You can change a companion’s name only during the entry period.

Resale is banned. Qoo10’s notice says a resold or transferred ticket is refused at the door, becomes void and isn’t refunded, so I wouldn’t buy from anywhere except the official seller.

Photos, recording and streaming aren’t allowed inside, and once you leave you can’t come back in.

MAMA 2026 lineup: who performs on which day

Twelve acts were announced on October 13.

Date	Performers
Friday, November 20	ALPHA DRIVE ONE, BABYMONSTER, ENHYPEN, ILLIT, INI, NCT WISH, RESCENE
Saturday, November 21	CORTIS, KiiiKiii, LE SSERAFIM, Nayeon (TWICE), ZEROBASEONE

Presenters are still listed as “coming soon.” Check which day your bias is on, then pick your chapter.

Fan voting (FANS’ CHOICE) opened on Mnet Plus right after the nominee announcement show on October 12. Mnet Japan says only 2026 MAMA SUPER FAN members can vote, and that sign-up closed on September 6 (CJ Newsroom).

How to watch MAMA 2026 if you can’t be there

You can watch the live stream anywhere in the world on Mnet Plus (announced by CJ ENM). If you’re in Japan, you have more options.

Where	Details (Mnet Japan)
Mnet Plus	Live worldwide
Mnet Smart+	Live and replay in Japan. Basic is 1,320 yen a month, and Premium with Japanese subtitles is 2,530 yen a month
CS Mnet (SKY PerfecTV!)	Red carpet and main show live, 2,530 yen a month

From November 16 to 19, CS Mnet replays one past MAMA a day, 2022 through 2025, with Japanese subtitles. From November 9 to 21, there’s also a side event called MAMA FAN FESTA at various spots in Osaka and on Mnet Plus.

What past attendees say

I looked for first-hand reports from past MAMA shows held in Japan. I searched for English posts from people who attended the 2022 Osaka, 2023 Tokyo Dome and 2024 Osaka shows, including on Reddit, and I couldn’t find any. These three are Japanese-language posts, and I’ve summarized them in my own words.

A spectator on note who went on day one in 2022 arrived a little after 4:30 pm for a 6 pm show. The line shrank quickly, but bag and cheering-goods checks were thorough, and bags larger than A4 were measured and turned away at the gate. The show ran from 6 pm to about 9:30 pm. They wrote that it was so crowded outside afterward that they gave up on going home that night and stayed over.

An editor at マランマラン sat in Stand section J, row 22, on day one in 2024 and said it was far enough back that binoculars were needed. Each seat had an official MAMA light stick that connects automatically, and they noted these are normally collected after the show.

An editor at non-no sat in the front row of Arena Block B on the same day. The stage was closer than expected, and the aisle gave plenty of legroom. They got the seat in the first lottery and checked it on their phone the day before. Performances and awards alternated, and the setlist wasn’t released in advance.

Reality check

Plan for the main show alone to take three to four hours. In the 2022 report, the 6 pm show ended around 9:30.

When it ends, everyone in the dome heads for the stations at once. Kyocera Dome holds about 55,000 people for events. The closest stations are Dome-mae Chiyozaki on the Osaka Metro Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line, Dome-mae on the Hanshin Namba Line and Taisho on the JR Osaka Loop Line. If you’re hoping to catch the last shinkansen, staying overnight like the 2022 attendee did is the calmer plan.

Bring a small bag. I haven’t found this year’s bag size rules, but in 2022 there was an A4 limit.

I’m collecting K-pop award show dates under K-culture. The Melon Music Awards 2026 in Seoul are a week earlier, on November 14 and 15. When the general sale and presenters are announced, I’ll update this post right away. Yes, I’ll be checking again.