BTS and CORTIS Each Land Third 2026 VMA Nomination

BTS and rookie group CORTIS have each picked up a third nomination at the 2026 MTV VMAs after joining the Best Group race alongside BLACKPINK and KATSEYE.

CBS and MTV announced nominations for the show's four social categories — Best Group, Best Long Form Video, Best Album and Song of Summer — on Sept. 18, and the Best Group list is dominated by Korean pop. BLACKPINK, BTS, CORTIS and KATSEYE will face British girl group FLO, American band Fuerza Regida, indie act Geese and Twenty One Pilots in an eight-act field. The Korea Times reports that the additions announced Friday (U.S. time) bring BTS' total to three nominations, while CORTIS, previously up for Best New Artist and Best K-pop, also joins the Best Group race for a third nod. Fan voting runs on the @MTV Instagram Story, opening Monday, Sept. 21 and closing Thursday, Sept. 24 at 11:00 AM ET.

Best Group has been a K-pop stronghold in recent years, and no act has owned it like BTS. The Korea Times notes the septet won the category four consecutive times from 2019 to 2022, making it the most decorated act in VMAs history in that field. StarNews adds the more recent roll call: BLACKPINK took the prize in 2023 and 2025, with SEVENTEEN winning in 2024. BTS' other two 2026 nominations are for Song of the Year and Best K-pop for "Swim," the lead track of its fifth studio album "ARIRANG." A fourth Best Group win would be a notable comeback for a group that spent 2023–2025 off the winners' list in the category.

The steepest climb belongs to CORTIS — Martin, James, Ju-hoon, Sung-hyun and Geon-ho. StarNews reports the five-member group, just one year after its debut, is positioned to compete for a triple crown across Best New Artist, Best K-pop and Best Group, having joined BTS and KATSEYE on the nominee list. The same outlet reports the group's mini album extended edition "GREENGREEN_playextended" has spent four consecutive weeks on Spotify's Weekly Top Albums Global chart, currently ranking 185th after debuting at 149 — described by StarNews as a first among K-pop boy groups that debuted within the past five years. The group's single "REDRED" has topped the Korean Spotify Daily Chart 120 times, per StarNews, the most among K-pop groups.

According to Paramount Press Express, Best Group voting is a three-round, bracket-style face-off on the @MTV Instagram Story, and this year's social categories also include Best Long Form Video, Best Album and Song of Summer, each with staggered voting windows through the morning of the show. Madonna leads all nominees with 13 nods and will open the show with special guests, followed by Taylor Swift with 11, per Paramount Press Express. Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the ceremony airs live from Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 27 (7:30–9:30 PM ET) on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+.

Both camps have momentum to carry into the voting window. The Korea Times describes the VMAs as one of the four major U.S. music award ceremonies, raising the stakes of the Sept. 27 showdown at the Peacock Theater. StarNews reports CORTIS will perform at the 2026 The Fact Music Awards on Sept. 19 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium, then travel to Japan for the Rock in Japan Festival 2026 on the 20th and SBS's "Inkigayo Live in Tokyo" stage on the 22nd. BTS, meanwhile, remains in the middle of its "World Tour Arirang" run, which StarNews reports brought V to perform album track "Please" in sign language for a deaf fan in Arlington. 24.