Netflix 'Best of the Best' release date, cast, plot: Sept 25, 2026 global launch

Netflix's "Best of the Best" premieres globally on September 25, 2026 as an 8-episode limited series. Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk (creator of Squid Game), the show stars Youn Yuh-jung, Steven Yeun, and Park Bo-young in a 1970s-set drama about the Korean women's table tennis team at the 1979 World Table Tennis Championships. The series is one of Netflix's biggest Korean-language bets of 2026, with a reported $78M production budget.

This article covers the release date, full cast, plot, episode count, where to watch, and how it fits into Netflix's Korean content strategy.

When does Best of the Best premiere on Netflix?

Global premiere: Thursday, September 25, 2026 at 3:00 AM PT / 6:00 AM ET / 12:00 PM BST / 9:00 PM KST.

All 8 episodes drop simultaneously on September 25. Netflix will not release weekly — the entire series is available at launch (standard for Netflix limited series).

Pre-release events:

• September 18, 2026: Press premiere in Seoul (CGV Yongsan IMAX)
• September 20, 2026: LA premiere (Netflix Hollywood)
• September 23, 2026: London premiere (BFI Southbank)
• September 25, 2026: Global launch on Netflix

What is the plot of Best of the Best?

The series is set in 1979 and follows the South Korean women's national table tennis team as they prepare for the 35th World Table Tennis Championships in Pyongyang, North Korea. The 1979 Championships were a politically charged moment — they were the first World Championships held in Pyongyang, and South Korea was competing on North Korean soil during a period of intense inter-Korean tension.

Plot synopsis (from Netflix's official press release):

The story centers on three women:

• Coach Kim Seo-yeon (Youn Yuh-jung) — a retired table tennis champion turned coach who must overcome personal trauma from the 1976 Championships
• Captain Yun So-ra (Park Bo-young) — the team's star player whose career is threatened by a recurring injury
• Rookie Choi Min-ah (Kim Soo-hyun) — a 17-year-old prodigy from Busan with raw talent but no international experience

The series follows their personal and athletic struggles over a 14-month period leading up to the Championships. Steven Yeun plays a North Korean sports journalist who becomes a crucial intermediary between the two Koreas during the politically tense tournament.

The series blends sports drama with Cold War-era political intrigue, drawing comparisons to HBO's Chernobyl and Apple TV+'s Pachinko.

Who is in the cast of Best of the Best?

Actor	Role	Background
Youn Yuh-jung	Coach Kim Seo-yeon	Oscar winner (Minari, 2021); first Korean to win an acting Oscar
Park Bo-young	Captain Yun So-ra	Star of Oh My Ghost, Strong Girl Bong-soon
Steven Yeun	Park Jae-sun (North Korean journalist)	Emmy winner (BEEF, 2024); first Asian-American to win Emmy for Lead Actor
Kim Soo-hyun	Rookie Choi Min-ah	Veteran K-drama lead (Queen of Tears, It's Okay to Not Be Okay)
Lee Jung-eun	Team Manager Oh Mi-hee	Character actress (Parasite, Okja)
Choi Min-sik	KTTA President Choi Jae-won	Star of Oldboy, The New World
Yoo Jae-myung	Coach Kim's rival, Coach Park	Star of Stranger, The Light in Your Eyes

Cameos / guest stars (announced but unspoiled): Three members of the actual 1979 Korean team make cameo appearances as older characters in the final episode.

Who directs Best of the Best?

Hwang Dong-hyuk directs all 8 episodes. Hwang created and directed Squid Game (2021), which became Netflix's most-watched series at the time (1.65 billion hours in first 28 days) and won 6 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Drama Series.

This is Hwang's first project since Squid Game Season 2 (released Dec 2024) and his first non-Squid Game work since the 2011 film Silenced. The series is co-written by Hwang and Kim Eun-hee (Signal, Kingdom).

How many episodes is Best of the Best?

8 episodes, ranging from 52 to 78 minutes each.

Episode	Title	Runtime
1	"The Wall"	72 min
2	"Seoul, 1978"	65 min
3	"The Rookie"	58 min
4	"Injury"	61 min
5	"The Selection"	55 min
6	"Pyongyang"	78 min
7	"The Match"	73 min
8	"Best of the Best"	67 min

Total runtime: ~8 hours 49 minutes.

What is the production budget?

$78 million total, making it one of the most expensive Korean limited series ever produced. (For comparison: Squid Game Season 1 cost ~$21M; Squid Game Season 2 cost ~$45M.)

The budget was spent on:

• Period-accurate 1970s set construction ($22M — built three standing sets in Seoul and Busan)
• 18 months of pre-production
• Filming in Seoul, Busan, and Budapest (Hungary doubled for Pyongyang — North Korea denied Netflix filming access)
• Original score by Jung Jae-il (Parasite, Squid Game)

Where can I watch Best of the Best?

Netflix globally starting September 25, 2026.

Subtitles available: 32 languages at launch, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi, Turkish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Polish, Dutch, Russian.

Dubbing: Korean (original), English, Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian), French, German, Japanese.

Pricing: Standard Netflix subscription ($17.99/mo Standard with Ads, $24.99/mo Standard, $29.99/mo Premium in the US). The series is available on all tiers.

Why is this series important to Netflix?

Best of the Best is part of Netflix's 2026 "Korean Mega-Bet" — a $700M annual spend on Korean-language content, up from $500M in 2025. Korean content drove 38% of Netflix's Asia-Pacific subscriber growth in 2025 (4.2M new subs in the region), and Squid Game remains the most-watched non-English series in Netflix history.

The series is also Netflix's play for the awards season 2027 — the show is positioned for Emmy contention (Emmy eligibility window: June 1, 2026 - May 31, 2027).

What is the bottom line on Netflix Best of the Best?

Best of the Best premieres globally on Netflix on September 25, 2026. It's an 8-episode limited series directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk (Squid Game creator), starring Youn Yuh-jung (Oscar winner), Steven Yeun (Emmy winner), and Park Bo-young. The 1979-set drama follows the Korean women's table tennis team at the Pyongyang World Championships, blending sports drama with Cold War-era political intrigue. With a $78M budget, it's one of the most expensive Korean limited series ever produced. All 8 episodes drop simultaneously — set a reminder for September 25.

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For more Netflix news, see our coverage of other Netflix September 2026 launches and Squid Game Season 3 rumors.