BTS take credit for England football win in first UK show since 2019

Image source, HYBE / Big Hit Music Image caption, BTS are playing two nights in London as part of their Arirang tour, which is the biggest K-pop tour in history By Mark Savage Music correspondent Published 33 minutes ago BTS jokingly took credit for England's 3-2 World Cup victory over Mexico in the early hours on Monday, as they played their first UK show in seven years at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. "Congrats on the win last night," said band leader RM. "We always bring the luck to every place we play. "When we played in Belgium, Belgium won. Now that we're in London, Britain won. You see?" The pop group also apologised to their British fans for the long gap between shows. They last played in 2019, when they became the first South Korean act to headline Wembley Stadium. They were due to return in 2020, before Covid forced them to cancel the massive Map of the Soul tour. All seven members then had to complete compulsory military service in South Korea, putting the band on hiatus for three years. "There was Covid, there was military, and now we're here in 2026 together," said RM. "I missed you so much, and thank you for all coming." Suga also thanked fans for their patience. "I'm still feeling the emotion I felt seven or eight years ago," he said. "I don't think you guys have changed. You're still in a passionate country." Singer J-Hope added that it was an "honour" to be playing in the same stadium where South Korean captain Son "Sonny" Heung-min made his name. The Spurs legend recently apologised for his country's early World Cup exit after they failed to make it through from the group stage. Image source, HYBE / Big Hit Music Image caption, Thanks to an innovative 360-degree stage, BTS drew the biggest-ever crowd for a concert at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium BTS attracted the venue's largest-ever concert crowd, with 65,000 fans crammed into the stadium, waving light sticks and hand-made signs for their heroes. "I'm 59 and BTS keeps me young forever," read one. "I ran a half marathon listening to BTS," said another. "Namjoon for Prime Minister," added a third, with a picture of RM superimposed on a British flag. Jin returned the compliment by holding up a sign reading "BTS loves ARMY," the band's affectionate name for their fandom. Image caption, Jin held up a handwritten sign for fans, as the band changed into new costumes for the final act of the concert When BTS returned earlier this year, there were questions about whether they could recapture the momentum that made them the world's biggest K-Pop band in the 2010s. The seven members - RM, Jimin, V, Suga, Jungkook, Jin and J-Hope - had all released solo material, to varying degrees of success. A Netflix documentary captured their nerves about coming back as a unit. "I don't have any real sense of what this album's supposed to be," said RM as recording sessions played out, arguing that "there's a level of authenticity we need to have here". But they eventually pulled through. Their comback album,