The last grand sumo tournament of 2026, the Kyushu Basho, runs for 15 days from Sunday, November 8 to Sunday, November 22 at the Fukuoka Convention Center (福岡国際センター / Fukuoka Kokusai Center). If you're building a Japan trip around a day at the sumo, the first things to settle are when tickets go on sale, which seat to choose, and what to do if your day sells out.
For the basics of buying sumo tickets, including Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, start with our Grand Sumo Ticket Guide 2026.
General tickets go on sale on September 19, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Popular days sell out in advance, and once a day is sold out, no same-day tickets are released.
Kyushu Basho 2026 ticket on-sale dates
General (first-come) sales open on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Japan time. Once the tournament is underway, tickets for each day stay on sale until 5:00 p.m. that same day.
Advance lotteries came earlier, through the official fan club (first and second rounds), Ticket Ozumo, and Ticket Pia. That is four rounds in all, and they closed between mid-August and early September. So if you're buying for the first time now, the September 19 general sale is your first real chance.
Seat types and prices (2026, tax included)
Seats fall into three broad groups. "Tamari" cushion seats are closest to the ring, "masu" boxes offer floor seating in a partitioned space, and Western-style chair seats along the aisles are the easiest to get in and out of. Masu and chair seats each come in S, A, B and C grades, and masu boxes are sold as a whole box, priced by how many people they seat. Weekends and holidays cost more than weekdays.
The table below shows the top grade (S) and the cheapest (C) as a guide; the A and B grades sit in between.
Seat type | Price (tax incl. | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
Tamari | ¥20,000 (all days) | 1 person, 16+ only |
Masu S (4-person) | ¥52,000 weekday / ¥56,000 weekend | 4 |
Masu C (4-person) | ¥32,000 weekday / ¥34,000 weekend | 4 |
Chair S | ¥5,500 weekday / ¥6,000 weekend | 1 |
Chair C | ¥2,000 weekday / ¥2,500 weekend | 1 |
Two-person masu boxes start at ¥19,000 on weekdays and three-person boxes at ¥24,000. There are also low-step "raku-raku" (楽々, easy-access) two-person C boxes (¥19,000), paired seats with a table (¥19,000), and wheelchair seating (¥10,000, including space for a wheelchair and a companion seat).
For a solo visit, a chair seat is the simple pick; for a family or group, a masu box lets you spread out together.
Where to buy, and the English site
The official seller is Ticket Ozumo (チケット大相撲), the Japan Sumo Association's sales site, operated by Pia. You can buy online, by phone (0570-02-9310), or at 7-Eleven store kiosks in Japan. Ticket Pia and e+ (eplus) also handle sales.
Overseas visitors can use the official English-language Grand Sumo Tickets site to check the schedule, on-sale date and seat types, and buy tickets. Before you book, check its payment and ticket-collection options on the site, since some pickup methods (such as 7-Eleven) only work inside Japan.
Same-day tickets and the days that sell out
Ticket Ozumo says it plainly: if a day sells out in advance, no same-day tickets are sold. Once a day's advance tickets are gone, turning up at the box office will not get you in.
The Kyushu tournament has drawn big crowds in recent years, and the opening day, the middle Sunday (November 15), the final day, and days featuring the top wrestlers and the yokozuna tend to sell out early. If you have a particular day in mind, secure it ahead of time rather than relying on the door.
Official resale when a day is sold out
If tickets for your preferred day are sold out, check the Japan Sumo Association's official face-value resale service first. Fans who can no longer attend can list their tickets at face value, and the whole transaction goes through Ticket Ozumo or Ticket Pia on a smartphone.
You can list a QR ticket up to 11:59 p.m. three days before the match day, or the day before for tickets not yet issued. Resale trading opens on the Monday on or after the general sale date, and sellers pay a fee of 10% of the face value.
Tickets offered through peer-to-peer marketplaces or auction sites are not part of the official resale service, and tickets resold improperly may be refused entry on the day. Stick to the official resale service.
If no tickets become available through the official resale service, our guide to How to Watch Sumo Without a Ticket covers the alternatives.
The venue and doors-open times
The Fukuoka Kokusai Center is at 2-2 Chikko Honmachi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka. Check the opening time carefully, as it varies by day: 8:45 a.m. through day 12 (November 19), 10:30 a.m. on days 13 and 14 (November 20–21), and 10:00 a.m. on the final day (November 22). The top-division (makuuchi) bouts begin around 4:00 p.m., and the final bout of the day takes place just before 6:00 p.m.
If you're coming in from out of town and staying over, book a hotel near the venue early. The tournament opens on a Sunday, and the weekend days draw the biggest crowds.
This article was translated from the original Japanese with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. The Japanese version is authoritative.
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