EXO is finally reuniting as it was widely expected that everyone would be back after completing military service. SM Entertainment officially announced that the popular K-pop group will hold a two-day fan meeting titled “EXO’verse” in Seoul, followed by the release of their 8th full-length album in January 2026.
What makes this return even more special is the participation of Lay Zhang (Zhang Yixing), the group’s Chinese member who has stopped participataing in EXO’s group activities since 2022. Both the fan meeting and the upcoming album will feature him, marking his first group activity with EXO in several years.
However, SM also confirmed that the fan meeting and album will include only six members – Suho, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun, and Lay. Missing from this lineup are Baekhyun, Chen, and Xiumin, members of EXO sub-unit EXO-CBX, who previously had contract disputes with SM Entertainment. With fans expecting a full OT9 lineup, their absence has left the fandom, collectively known as EXO-L, feeling disappointed as they take to social media to make their frustrations and concerns known online.
