loading . . . UFL Week 2 Attendance: Columbus Leads With 14,810 as League Average Drops to 9,235 Week 2 of the 2026 UFL season featured all eight teams in action across four games spread over five days. Total attendance came in at 36,938 fans — an average of 9,235 per game.
That is a drop from Week 1, which totaled 65,222 (16,305 average). But the two weeks are not an apples-to-apples comparison. Week 1 included a St. Louis home game that drew 31,191 and the Louisville Kings' debut at 14,034. Week 2 had neither of those factors working in its favor.
Instead, the league faced Easter Sunday, the Final Four, and a first-ever Tuesday night game.
Columbus Draws 14,810 in Home Opener
The Columbus Aviators hosted the D.C. Defenders on Friday night at Historic Crew Stadium. The Defenders won 41-20, but the Aviators drew 14,810 for their first home game in franchise history.
Crew Stadium has a capacity of about 20,000. The crowd filled the lower bowl and parts of the upper deck. Columbus is one of the three new markets the UFL added for 2026, replacing the Michigan Panthers. Head coach Ted Ginn Jr. made his home professional coaching debut.
The number falls in line with Mike Repole's stated goal of 10,000 to 15,000 fans per game across the league. For a brand-new franchise with no history in the market, 14,810 on a Friday night is a number the league can work with.
Orlando Drops to 8,585 Against Final Four Competition
The Orlando Storm hosted the Louisville Kings on Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando won to move to 2-0, but the crowd dipped to 8,585 — down from 11,127 in the Week 1 home opener.
Saturday's game kicked off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, directly opposite the NCAA Final Four. That is about as tough a programming conflict as the UFL will face all season. Inter&Co Stadium holds 25,500, so the building was about one-third full.
Orlando is still building its fan base. The franchise replaced the San Antonio Brahmas and has no carryover history in the market. A drop from Week 1 to Week 2 is common across UFL markets in previous seasons.
Houston Posts 7,744 on Easter Sunday
The Houston Gamblers hosted the Birmingham Stallions on Easter Sunday at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston won, but only 7,744 fans attended.
The game aired at 6 p.m. ET on NFL Network — a channel that some fans may not have easy access to. This was the first UFL game to air on NFL Network, which ESPN acquired in January 2026. Playing on Easter likely kept some families away from the stadium.
Shell Energy Stadium has a capacity of about 20,600. Houston has been one of the UFL's toughest markets since the league launched. In 2025, the Roughnecks (now rebranded as the Gamblers) opened with 7,124 and dipped below that number at points during the season. The 7,744 figure is an improvement over last year's Week 1 number, but still sits below Repole's 10,000-fan floor.
Dallas Posts 5,799 on First-Ever Tuesday Night Game
The Dallas Renegades hosted the St. Louis Battlehawks on Tuesday night in the UFL's first-ever Tuesday game. Dallas won 31-15, but only 5,799 fans were at Toyota Stadium.
That is the lowest attendance figure through two weeks of the 2026 season. Dallas drew 8,870 in Week 1 on a Saturday, so the Tuesday drop-off is steep — a decline of more than 3,000 fans.
Toyota Stadium holds about 20,500. The game aired on FS1 at 8 p.m. ET. Tuesday night is uncharted territory for the UFL. The league included midweek games in the 2026 schedule to test new windows, but the Dallas number suggests Tuesday is a hard sell for in-person attendance — at least in a market that already struggles to fill seats on weekends.
Week 2 Attendance at a Glance
D.C. Defenders at Columbus Aviators
Friday
Historic Crew Stadium
14,810
DC 41, CLB 20
Louisville Kings at Orlando Storm
Saturday
Inter&Co Stadium
8,585
ORL win
Birmingham Stallions at Houston Gamblers
Sunday (Easter)
Shell Energy Stadium
7,744
HOU win
St. Louis Battlehawks at Dallas Renegades
Tuesday
Toyota Stadium
5,799
DAL 31, STL 15
Total / Average
36,938 / 9,235
Week 1 vs. Week 2
Week 1
65,222
16,305
St. Louis (31,191)
Dallas (8,870)
Week 2
36,938
9,235
Columbus (14,810)
Dallas (5,799)
Note: Week 1 included a St. Louis home game (31,191) and Louisville's debut (14,034). Week 2 had no St. Louis or Louisville home games. The Week 2 schedule also faced Easter Sunday, the NCAA Final Four, and the UFL's first Tuesday night game.
What the Numbers Say
Columbus showed that a new market can draw close to 15,000 with the right setup — a Friday night game on FOX in a right-sized stadium. That is the formula Repole has pushed since joining the ownership group.
The other three games tell a different story. Orlando, Houston, and Dallas all came in below 10,000. Each had circumstances working against it — the Final Four, Easter, and a Tuesday night slot — but the numbers also reflect markets that have not yet built the kind of weekly habit the UFL needs.
Dallas has now posted the lowest attendance in both weeks. The Renegades are 2-0 on the field, but the wins have not translated to ticket sales. Houston remains a problem market, though the 7,744 figure is at least in range of what the team drew in previous years.
Through two weeks, the league has drawn 102,160 total fans across eight games, for a cumulative average of 12,770 per game. Remove St. Louis's Week 1 home opener, and the other seven games average 10,138.
Week 3 begins Friday, April 10, with Orlando at Louisville on FOX. Saturday features Houston at D.C. on ESPN, followed by two ABC games on Sunday: Columbus at Dallas and Birmingham at St. Louis. The Battlehawks return home, which should push the Week 3 total back up. https://uflnewshub.com/ufl/ufl-week-2-attendance-columbus-leads-14810-league-average-drops-9235?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky&utm_campaign=dlvrit