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“Truly so unfair”- Fans look back at BTS’ Jungkook’s missed Super Bowl opportunity as j-hope names NFL his dream stage


BTS member j-hope recently appeared on the YouTube show Finding Kani opened up about his dream about performing at the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl sparking wide debate online. The episode titled Why Are You Shaking My Heart (BTS J-Hope, SWIM) | Finding Kani EP.40 released on March 25, 2026, in the YouTube channel 광 gwang series’ (@gwangseries) featured the artist.

At the show discussing j-hope appeared to talk about BTS’ comeback with their fifth studio album ARIRANG and shared behind-the-scenes insights from their recent activities. During the conversation, j-hope was asked about his dream stage. He responded thoughtfully, naming the Super Bowl as a goal he hopes to achieve someday. He noted,

“It’s good to dream big, the Super Bowl. Wow, if we were to stand on the Super Bowl stage I wonder what it would feel like.”

j-hope further expressed admiration for the Super Bowl stage’s scale and impact adding,

“It is a stage where everyone becomes an artist both the dancers and the artists so I think it is a really cool stage.”

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The host reacted enthusiastically, playfully urging organizers to invite BTS for a future show to which j-hope responded by saying that it felt nice, as if she was expressing what he himself was thinking. The exchange drew attention online, with fans revisiting a past opportunity involving fellow BTS member Jungkook.

According to a report published by The New Yorker on October 7, 2024, Jungkook had been invited by Usher to perform Standing Next to You at the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show. The K-pop star had previously released a remix version of his solo track Standing Next to You in collaboration with the American singer in December 2023.

However, the invitation coincided with his mandatory military service, which began on December 12, 2023. As a result, he was not available for the halftime show, which took place on February 11, 2024, during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

Following j-hope’s remarks, some fans reflected on what could have been a significant milestone for the youngest BTS member. Discussions across social media highlighted that Jungkook would have become of the first first K-pop artist and Asian act to appear on the Super Bowl stage. Fans expressed disappointment over the missed opportunity, with one fan writing,

“It’s so heartbreaking to know that Jungkook could have performed at the Super Bowl, but because he had to go into the military service, he couldn’t. It’s truly so unfair!!!”

With the renewed conversation fans expressed their disappointment and sadness over Jungkook not being able to perform on the Super Bowl.

Okk now it is fine but when jungkook was invited. U all said it was not a big deal. Do they know that jungkook was invited but could not go all because of them 💀

armys are cheering now but when jungkook was invited to the super bowl and couldn’t attend bc of his military enlistment, didn’t y’all say super bowl is irrelevant?

the army always changes their narrative in interesting ways… when Jungkook had the opportunity to perform there because he was invited, it was somehow not an important event for them…

Some fans also criticised HYBE as the company at that time had responded to the report of Jungkook being invited saying they had nothing to say about it.

it’s wild that anyone would act like a super bowl invite isn’t important. hybe basically brushing it off with “nothing to say” was such a slap in the face to jk’s hard work and global impact.

it’s crazy that hybe acted like the usher invite wasn’t a big deal. they definitely should have valued that stage more for jk.

hybe really tried to play it cool, but you don’t just “shrug off” an invite from usher for the biggest stage in the world. they’re definitely just trying to save face because they messed up his enlistment timing.

BTS releases comeback album ARIRANG following their military service, promotions in US ahead of massive world tour

Jungkook was officially discharged from military service on June 11, 2025, after completing his 18-month enlistment. He returned on the same day as fellow member Jimin. Their discharge followed by Suga completed the group’s lineup alongside RM, V, Jin and j-hope, who had finished their service previously.

With all seven members reunited, BTS resumed group activities and began working on new music which led to the release of their fifth studio album ARIRANG on March 20, 2026. It was their first full-group comeback following military service and a long hiatus. Shortly after the album’s release, the group traveled to the United States to kick off international promotions.

As part of this schedule, BTS is set to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, their first complete group appearance on the show since 2021. The program will air over two consecutive nights, on March 25 and 26 at 11:35 pm ET on NBC, with episodes becoming available for streaming on Peacock the following day.

The segment is expected to include an in-studio interview along with two performances. The first day will feature the interview and one stage, while the second broadcast will include an additional performance. In addition to promotional activities, BTS is also preparing to launch their ARIRANG world tour.

The tour is scheduled to begin on April 9 in South Korea and will continue as a large-scale global run through 2026 and 2027. The schedule currently includes 82 concerts across 34 cities spanning Asia, the United States, and Latin America, with more stops anticipated to be announced later.