BTS's 'SWIM' Lands on Billboard's 2026 Global Songs of the Summer

What happened

BTS’s ‘SWIM’ placed second on Global Excl. US and sixth on the Global 200 in Billboard’s 2026 Global Songs of the Summer, published on 10 September 2026. Munhwa Ilbo wrote that ‘SWIM’ is the title track of the fifth full-length album ARIRANG, and Tenasia and Ilgan Sports carried the same two rankings the same day.

When and where

Billboard published the list on 10 September 2026. According to Munhwa Ilbo, Global Songs of the Summer is ranked from Luminate’s streaming and sales data gathered across more than 200 territories worldwide, adding up Global chart performance from 6 June to 12 September 2026. It is a season added together rather than one weekly chart. The Herald Business explained that the Global Excl. US recap reflects music consumption worldwide outside the United States, while the Global 200 recap includes the US.

Why it matters

Munhwa Ilbo reported that ‘SWIM’ has reached number one on Global Excl. US eight times in all and held the top five there for 23 consecutive weeks, and that on the Global 200 it has reached number one four times and then stayed inside the top ten for 19 consecutive weeks. According to the Herald Business, Billboard put part of this result down to the momentum from BTS’s halftime performance at the FIFA World Cup final on 19 July at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The outlet wrote that BTS headlined the first halftime show in the history of the World Cup final.

Billboard published its weekly charts dated 12 September the same day. According to Ilgan Sports, ‘SWIM’ placed seventh on Global Excl. US and 18th on the Global 200 that week, and the B-side ‘NORMAL’ placed 60th and 96th on the two charts. The outlet wrote that, with ‘Body to Body’ at 187th, three songs from the album had held a place on Global Excl. US for 24 weeks. Tenasia reported that the album ARIRANG rose two places to 29th on the Billboard 200 of the same date, its 24th consecutive week on the chart.

What you need to know

• The two summer placings are second on Global Excl. US and sixth on the Global 200, over the period from 6 June to 12 September 2026.
• Ilgan Sports reported that ARIRANG placed 25th on Top Album Sales and 42nd on Top Streaming Albums on the charts dated 12 September.
• Tenasia reported that two days earlier, on 8 September 2026, the ‘SWIM’ music video won Best Group Video/International at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. It is BTS’s fourth win in that category, after ‘FAKE LOVE’, ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Butter’.