BTS Sweeps the 2026 MTV VMAs, Taking Home All Three Nominated Awards

BTS has turned its return to the global awards scene into another major milestone, sweeping all three categories in which the group was nominated at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. The group took home Best Group, while “SWIM,” the title track from BTS’s fifth studio album ARIRANG, won both Best K-Pop and Song of the Year. The three-award sweep came during the VMAs ceremony held on September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. 

BTS has built a remarkable history at the MTV Video Music Awards, beginning with its breakthrough in 2019 when the group won Best K-Pop for “Boy With Luv” and Best Group. In 2020, BTS expanded its VMA trophy collection with four wins, including Best Group, Best K-Pop for “ON,” Best Pop, and Best Choreography for “ON.” 

The group continued its winning streak in 2021, taking home Best Group, Best K-Pop for “Butter,” and Song of Summer for “Butter.” In 2022, BTS again won Best Group, marking four consecutive years of victory in the category.

Best Group - BTS

BTS reclaimed the Best Group trophy, adding another VMA win to the group’s history in the category.

The award carries particular significance following BTS’s return to full-group activities earlier this year. Before the 2026 ceremony, the group had already won Best Group four consecutive times from 2019 through 2022. Those four victories had remained the category record before BTS returned to the competition this year.

Their 2026 nomination placed BTS alongside other major artists and groups competing for one of the VMAs’ group-focused honors.

Best K-Pop -  “SWIM”

BTS also claimed Best K-Pop with “SWIM,” giving the ARIRANG title track its first major VMA victory of the night.

“SWIM” entered the ceremony with two nominations: Best K-Pop and Song of the Year. The song had already become one of the defining tracks from BTS’s post-hiatus return, serving as the title track of ARIRANG, released on March 20, 2026. 

The Best K-Pop category featured competition from BLACKPINK’s “JUMP,” CORTIS’ “REDRED,” KATSEYE’s “PINKY UP,” and LE SSERAFIM’s “SPAGHETTI,” featuring j-hope. 

Song of the Year - “SWIM”

The biggest moment came when “SWIM” was announced as the winner of  Song of the Year.

The victory placed BTS at the center of one of the VMAs’ major competitive categories, with “SWIM” competing against songs by Ella Langley, HUNTR/X, Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Dean, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, and RAYE.

For BTS, the Song of the Year win adds another chapter to the reception surrounding ARIRANG and its title track. Rather than taking home a single award from their nominations, the group completed the night with a perfect three-for-three record. BTS’s VMA sweep comes during a particularly active period for the group. Following the release of ARIRANG, BTS has been performing as a full group again while continuing its massive ARIRANG World Tour.

The BTS ARIRANG World Tour has continued its massive global run following the completion of the North American leg in September. BTS wrapped up 31 sold-out shows across 12 North American cities, drawing an estimated 1.92 million fans, before closing the leg with four concerts at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. The LA shows alone attracted about 282,000 attendees, while the concerts were also livestreamed through Weverse to fans in 177 countries and regions. 

The journey continues with the Latin American leg, beginning October 2 in Bogotá before heading to Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires and São Paulo. The tour will then continue into additional Asian and Australian dates, with official listings showing upcoming stops including Kaohsiung, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Manila. 

The scale of ARIRANG has already translated into enormous box-office numbers, with Pollstar reporting $465.8 million in gross revenue from 38 shows and 2,314,140 tickets in its Q3 touring data.

The 2026 VMAs victory now gives ARMY another milestone to celebrate: BTS won Best Group, while “SWIM” won Best K-Pop and Song of the Year. Three nominations. Three Awards. And another memorable awards-night chapter for BTS.