Most of the BTS members are currently in the United States working on their forthcoming full group album. Since last year, HYBE and BIGHIT MUSIC have been hinting at a 2026 release, which was recently confirmed by the members themselves.
By June 21, 2025, all seven BTS members have now completed their mandatory military service. Jin was the first to be discharged on June 12, 2024, followed by j-hope on October 17, 2024, RM and V on June 10 Jimin and Jungkook on June 11, and finally Suga on June 21, 2025.
Their group activities have been paused for military service since December 2022. However, they are reunited, and HYBE has big plans for the group. BTS members themselves have confirmed details about their album and world tour.
BTS’s First Full Album Since 2020
During a July 1 Weverse livestream viewed by over 7.3 million fans, all seven members, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, confirmed they are working together again. They plan to begin recording in July 2025, with a full album set for release in spring 2026. They emphasized this project will reflect each member’s “thoughts and ideas.”
BTS will release their fifth full studio album, their first since MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 dropped in February 2020, making it six years since their last full-length record. With a studio album, fans can expect plenty of new songs and big-name collaborations. BTS’s most recent comeback was in June 2022 with their first anthology album, Proof, just ahead of Jin’s enlistment.
BTS Members Have Begun Album Preparations in the US
BTS has officially kicked off full-scale preparations for their highly anticipated comeback album. They will gather in the United States for new music and have no plans to return for two months.
SUGA, Jimin, and Jungkook departed for Los Angeles on July 7, while RM flew out a day earlier on July 6 to get a head start. V is expected to join the team in LA once he wraps up his schedule in Paris.
Meanwhile, j-hope will headline Lollapalooza in Germany on July 13 before flying to Los Angeles to reunite with the group.
Jin is currently in the middle of his solo ‘RUNSEOJIN_EP.Tour.’ He will perform in Osaka on July 12 and 13, then travel to the U.S. on July 17 for solo shows. After that, Jin will greet fans in London on August 5 and 6, and in Amsterdam on August 9 and 10, and head straight to Los Angeles.
This reunion is the start of BTS’s first full-group album in six years. All the members are expected to contribute ideas and collaborate with international producers. The album is slated for a spring 2026 release, with a world tour to follow.
BTS World Tour in 2026
Alongside the album, BTS revealed plans for a “massive world tour” slated for 2026. This will be their first group tour since the 2022 “Permission to Dance On Stage” series. The massive tour is set to span major cities across Asia, North America, Europe, and Latin America. It will include first-time stops in regions the group hasn’t performed in before, for instance, the Middle East and India.
Considering the album will be released between March and May and the following promotional period, the BTS world tour will likely start mid to late summer 2026.
On another note, BTS is set to drop their first live concert album, Permission to Dance on Stage – Live, on July 18 at 1 PM, featuring 22 tracks in total.