The Asia Artist Awards named its first three performers for the 2026 ceremony on July 28, 2026, and the shortlist arrived with a headline number attached: ATEEZ, fresh off a mini-album that moved more than 1.88 million copies in a week. Here is who is confirmed, and where the show lands.source
Who's confirmed for AAA 2026, and when is it?
The first-wave lineup for the 2026 Asia Artist Awards is LNGSHOT, &TEAM and ATEEZ, announced by the AAA Organizing Committee on July 28, 2026 in Korean alphabetical order . The ceremony runs across two days — Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, 2026 — at Kaohsiung National Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the second straight year the show has been staged in the city .
Quick Answer: AAA 2026's first confirmed acts are LNGSHOT, &TEAM and ATEEZ, revealed July 28, 2026. The two-day ceremony takes place December 5–6, 2026 at Kaohsiung National Stadium, Taiwan. ATEEZ enters off a 14th mini-album that sold over 1.88 million copies in week one.source
- Announced: July 28, 2026, first of several sequential lineup waves
- Acts: LNGSHOT (rookie four-piece), &TEAM (nine members), ATEEZ (eight members)
- Dates and venue: Dec. 5–6, 2026, Kaohsiung National Stadium, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- ATEEZ context: 14th mini-album, released June 2026, sold more than 1.88 million copies in its first week — the group's seventh million-sellersource
Organizers stated at the time that further lineup waves would be revealed sequentially rather than in a single roster drop . That framing has held: the July 28 reveal turned out to be the opening move in a rollout that has since run through multiple additional announcements.
ATEEZ's 1.88 million-selling comeback, explained
ATEEZ's 14th mini-album, released in June 2026, sold more than 1.88 million copies in its first week, making it the eight-member group's seventh career million-seller . That figure is the clearest reason AAA organizers placed the group in the first announcement wave on July 28, 2026, alongside LNGSHOT and &TEAM . The comeback and the confirmation landed roughly a month apart, so ATEEZ entered the Kaohsiung roster at a commercial high point rather than as a legacy booking.
The lineup is Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho — the same eight members StarNews listed in its announcement coverage . A seventh million-seller matters for a specific reason: repeat million-sellers indicate a stable, recurring buyer base rather than a single viral release, which is the kind of profile awards shows use when they decide which acts to name first and which to hold for later waves.
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Release | 14th mini-album, June 2026 |
| First-week sales | 1.88 million+ copies |
| Career million-sellers | 7th |
| Members | 8 (Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, Jongho) |
| AAA confirmation | First wave, July 28, 2026 |
| Show dates | December 5–6, 2026, Kaohsiung National Stadium |
Sequencing is the point here. Announcing a group in the opening wave means its name carries the campaign for the weeks before the next reveal, and ATEEZ's sales run gave that opening wave a concrete number to travel with . The practical takeaway for fans planning around the December 5–6 dates: first-wave confirmations have held steady across the subsequent announcement rounds, so ATEEZ's appearance has been on the board longest of any 2026 act . Exact performance slots and set lengths, however, are not published in advance and are typically confirmed close to the event.
&TEAM and LNGSHOT: the rest of the first wave
&TEAM and LNGSHOT round out the three acts named in the first AAA 2026 lineup wave on July 28, 2026, alongside ATEEZ . &TEAM is a nine-member group — EJ (Euiju), Fuma, K, Nicholas, Yuma, Jo, Harua, Taki and Maki — confirmed mid-way through its Asia tour, while LNGSHOT is a four-member rookie act organizers introduced off a May 2026 mixtape .
&TEAM was on the road with "2026 &TEAM CONCERT TOUR 'BLAZE THE WAY'" when the announcement landed, and the group's schedule between now and December is dense. Its second Korean mini-album is set for release on September 8, 2026, with Seoul encore performances following on October 3–4, 2026 . For fans mapping the autumn calendar, that sequence — release, encore, then a December awards appearance in Kaohsiung — gives three separate points of contact with the group inside four months, according to Sports Khan, 2026-07.
LNGSHOT sits at the other end of the experience curve. The four-member act — O-yul, Ryul, Woojin and Rui, romanized by StarNews, 2026-07 as Oh-yul, Rul, Woo-jin and Louis — was described by organizers as a "trendy rookie" act that drew global attention through the title track of the collaborative mixtape "4SHOBOIZ Vol. 2: 4SHOVILLE," released in May 2026 and built around a contemporary hip-hop aesthetic . Romanization differences across outlets are worth noting if you are searching for the group's releases: spellings vary, the Hangul does not.
"A trendy rookie act that drew global attention through the title track of the mixtape '4SHOBOIZ Vol. 2: 4SHOVILLE,'" — AAA Organizing Committee, on LNGSHOT's selection (source: StarNews)
Pairing a nine-member group mid-tour with a rookie act roughly two months past a mixtape is a deliberate framing choice. The three names were released in Korean alphabetical order rather than by billing, and organizers said further waves would follow sequentially — so the first wave reads less as a headline slate than as a statement that breakout acts share the Kaohsiung stage with established touring groups.
Why AAA's rollout strategy matters for fans
AAA's 2026 lineup is being released in rolling waves rather than a single announcement, which means the roster fans see at any given moment is only a fraction of the final December bill. Since the July 28 first wave, organizers have run at least eight separate lineup announcements through September 3, 2026, and have said further reveals are still to come . For anyone budgeting a trip to Kaohsiung, that changes how and when a booking decision should be made.
The additions so far span most of the current K-pop touring class. In sequence: RESCENE, ITZY, KiiiKiii and Hearts2Hearts (July 30); RIIZE, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, TXT and Yeonjun, and ZEROBASEONE (August 4); MONSTA X, MEOVV, NMIXX, ITZY's Yuna and TWS (August 6); NEXZ, Park Ji Hoon, SUPER JUNIOR-D&E, ALLDAY PROJECT and Yena (August 11); Accusefive, Xdinary Heroes, WOODZ, MONSTA X's Joohoney and tripleS (August 18); IDID, QWER, CLOSE YOUR EYES, KISS OF LIFE and KickFlip (August 27); and Naniwa Danshi, WJSN's Dayoung, ZEROBASEONE's Sung Han Bin, OURBIRTHDAY, DAY6's Wonpil, ITZY's Chaeryeong, CORTIS and TUIDE on September 3 .
Two of those names signal how the show is positioning itself in its host market: Taiwanese band Accusefive and Japanese group Naniwa Danshi are booked alongside the Korean roster, consistent with an awards ceremony staged in Kaohsiung for a second consecutive year. The hosting slate follows the same pan-Asian logic — IVE's Jang Won Young and actor Ji Chang Wook lead as MCs, with ZEROBASEONE's Sung Han Bin added in a surprise reveal made live at the ACON 2026 festival on July 25, 2026 .
The practical takeaway: waiting for a "complete" lineup before booking flights or accommodation is a losing strategy when reveals are still arriving weekly, but so is assuming a favorite is confirmed when they haven't been named. Check the official channels — @aaa_awards and StarNews, the show's host outlet — before treating any roster list as final.
Getting to Kaohsiung National Stadium: tickets and logistics
The 2026 Asia Artist Awards runs across two days — Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, 2026 — at Kaohsiung National Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan . The venue, also known as the World Games Stadium, sits directly on the Kaohsiung MRT Red Line at World Games Station (R17), which makes it one of the more straightforward large-capacity stadiums in Asia to reach without a car . It is the second consecutive year the ceremony has been staged in the city, after the 2025 edition at the same stadium on December 6, 2025 .
On timings, Kaohsiung's official city tourism calendar lists a 17:00 (GMT+8) show start with the red carpet from 15:00 (GMT+8), both flagged as subject to on-site confirmation . Those figures line up with resale listings: tickets for the December 6 show have surfaced on secondary platforms including StubHub with a 5:00 pm start time attached . Official pricing tiers, seat categories and any travel packages are published on the primary sale pages themselves and are not confirmed in the announcement materials — so a resale price is not a reliable read on face value.
View Kaohsiung National Stadium on Google Maps
The concrete takeaway: lock the dates and the transit route now — December 5–6, Red Line to R17 — and treat everything else as provisional. Ticketing, final set times and the still-growing roster all sit with @aaa_awards and asiaartistawards.com, and with at least eight lineup waves already out and organizers signalling more, those are the only channels worth refreshing.
Frequently asked questions
When and where is the 2026 Asia Artist Awards?
The 2026 Asia Artist Awards runs across two days — Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, 2026 — at Kaohsiung National Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan . It is the second consecutive year the ceremony has been staged in the city, following the 2025 edition held at the same stadium on December 6, 2025 . Kaohsiung's official city tourism calendar lists a 17:00 (GMT+8) show time with the red carpet from 15:00 (GMT+8), subject to on-site announcement .
Who was named in AAA 2026's first artist lineup?
The first wave, unveiled by the AAA Organizing Committee on July 28, 2026, named three acts: LNGSHOT, &TEAM and ATEEZ, listed in Korean alphabetical order . Organizers stated at the time that further lineup waves would be revealed sequentially rather than in a single roster drop . The show is hosted by StarNews and organized by the AAA Organizing Committee under chairman Park Jun-cheol, with MOTIVE and D-SOW.
Why is ATEEZ's comeback significant for this announcement?
ATEEZ — Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho — arrived at the July 28 reveal off the group's strongest commercial week to date. Their 14th mini-album, released in June 2026, sold more than 1.88 million copies in its first week, marking their seventh million-seller album . That figure made them the clearest commercial anchor of the three-act first wave, alongside &TEAM's ongoing Asia tour and LNGSHOT's rookie positioning .
Has the AAA 2026 lineup grown since the first announcement?
Yes. At least eight announcement waves ran from July 28 through September 3, 2026 . Additions included RESCENE, ITZY, KiiiKiii and Hearts2Hearts (July 30); RIIZE, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, TXT and ZEROBASEONE (August 4); MONSTA X, MEOVV, NMIXX and TWS (August 6); NEXZ, Park Ji Hoon, SUPER JUNIOR-D&E, ALLDAY PROJECT and Yena (August 11); Accusefive, Xdinary Heroes, WOODZ and tripleS (August 18); IDID, QWER, CLOSE YOUR EYES, KISS OF LIFE and KickFlip (August 27); and Naniwa Danshi, OURBIRTHDAY, CORTIS and TUIDE (September 3). Taiwanese band Accusefive and Japanese group Naniwa Danshi reflect the show's pan-Asian roster and Taiwan host market.
Who is hosting AAA 2026?
MC duties for the 2026 ceremony go to IVE's Jang Won Young and actor Ji Chang Wook . Jang Won Young returns after co-hosting the 2025 edition with Lee Jun-ho . ZEROBASEONE's Sung Han Bin was added as a third MC in a surprise reveal made live during the ACON 2026 festival on July 25, 2026 .
Official Sources
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This article was written using information collected and analyzed by NAMANE's in-house K-pop research AI engine. We use AI technology to bring you faster, broader coverage, and in the process some details may occasionally differ from the latest facts. For important information such as dates, venues, and prices, please double-check with official sources.
