Heading toward the second half of the UFL 2025 regular season. After 20 games, the UFL, despite a sluggish start out of the gate, is ahead of last year’s pace in attendance. The season average in attendance is 12,827.
The UFL’s progress is incremental, at 0.6% ahead of last season’s midway point, but it’s progress nonetheless—a baby step forward for one of the UFL’s most significant sore spots.
In Week 5, thanks to another strong showing by the St. Louis Battlehawks crowd (30,406) in a thrilling home victory over Michigan, and a solid number from the Brahmas (14,427) in San Antonio’s delayed home opener. The UFL saw its best weekly attendance average since Week 2.
UFL 2025 Weekly Attendance Average
Week 1: 8,466
Week 2: 16,222
Week 3: 13,976
Week 4: 9.593
Week 5: 15,876
The cumulative total for attendance after 20 UFL regular-season games is 256,540. In the 2024 season, after 43 games, including the postseason, which occurred from late March through mid-June, the overall attendance total for the UFL was 581,016—an average of 13,512 per game.
The UFL, which has been ahead of the pace of its recent spring league predecessors in TV viewership, is still behind in team attendance figures. The most recent example before the merger was the XFL in 2023. The XFL averaged 14,703 fans per game from February to May two years ago. The overall attendance figure across 43 games was 632,247.
The steady popularity of St. Louis has been a significant factor in boosting the overall attendance for the XFL before it, and now the UFL. How the 2025 UFL fares in an overall attendance number when the smoke clears will directly be tied to St. Louis’s success on the field and how many additional games take place at the Dome at America’s Center.
Although St. Louis’s average attendance is behind last year’s of 34k per game, the team is still averaging over 30,000 fans per game. Added playoff stakes could help strengthen numbers during a crucial stretch of the season heading into the postseason.
D.C. has arguably the league’s most energetic fan base, and Michigan and San Antonio have shown progress in 2024. However, the overall interest of the UFL’s fans in its markets remains a work in progress. There hasn’t been enough growth.
With Memphis and Houston off to a poor start at the gate and Birmingham and Arlington still struggling to gain traction in their fourth seasons of existence, St. Louis is left carrying the load for the league.
Once again, the UFL’s championship game will be held on Saturday, June 14th, at The Dome in St. Louis. The Battlehawks fell one step short of making last year’s title game. Taking the next step forward would set the stage for potentially setting a new modern-day attendance record, when the Battlehawks drew 40,317 fans for their home opener in 2024.
Much like a football team after a win or loss goes back to the film room to assess and reassess its performance in the hopes of improving strengths and minimizing weaknesses, the United Football League’s leadership must do the same when it comes to evaluating its course of strategy and actions regarding creating product awareness. How the league and its eight teams perform at the gate in the remaining 23 games of the 2025 season will help determine how they look forward in their existing markets and the two new ones expected to join the party in 2026.
12 Comments
by Ken Granito
Milestones: As I am at an odds with the league right now. I watched Friday, but not only about 15 mins of the other games, however I have been tracking the players and I would love to offer my congratulations as they deserve what they get for their efforts.
Jordan Ta’amu has thrown for his 8,000 yard. His 8,010 regular season yards lead all legacy UFL quarterbacks. Additionally, he moved up 2 places in the legacy UFL rushing standings and now his 1,211 sits 4th all-time behind Darius Victor’s 1,757, Mark Thompson 1,344 and CJ Marable’s 1,314. His 8 TDs also have him tied for 9th all-time.
Jontre Kirklin hit his 1,000 yard milestone with 1016, while Hakeem Butler increased his all-time leading TD reception output to 15. Can you imagine the amount of wide receivers and tight ends that have played for the legacy UFL that do not even have 15 receptions, nevermind 15 Touchdown receptions. Deontay Burnett who sits in second place also hit a milestone with his 10th touchdown reception. This is an excellent number for him, but also highlights how dominant a player Butler is as he has 50% more TD receptions as Burnett. It also shows how good AJ McCarron was for the league as 13 of his 15 TD passes is by way of McCarron.
by Calvin Z.
For the love of god please stop using “at the gate” “from the gate” “right from the gate”. It really doesn’t help the allegations that all of these stories are AI generated. Literally every story from this website uses these same exact phrases.
by JON PERRY
AJ Mc Caron was and still could be the best in the league – I am a Battlehawk fan but refuse to go back to the dome after the bone head move releasing AJ. Be smart and know where your bread is buttered.
by Richard Adamski
I understand your frustration, Jon, as I was a huge A.J. McCarron fan too. But I have to admit, watching Manny Wilkins at the start of this season and now Max Duggan (hopefully for remainder of the season) has been very exciting. I sincerely believe at least one NFL team will take another look at Duggan as a third-string / practice squad member which will give him a nice paycheck for at least a season. In non-Battlehawk news, that running back from Michigan, Toa Taua, is so fun to watch too and I hope the NFL gives him an opportunity to prove himself.
by Bruce Corley
I listen to all the games on Sirius. I’ll get FUBO next season as it is about to become available here next fall. I love the games, GO UFL!
by Frank Dux
Those attendance numbers are not the actual number of fans in the seats Mike, you know that.
by Mike Mitchell
Hello Frank, Thanks for checking out the article.
It’s always been reported by me that it’s the total number of tickets distributed for each event (sold and comped)
The attendance figure that the UFL and its venues release is a common practice by sports leagues like the NBA and NHL. (Counting the distribution total for each game/event).
That’s why I always label it as an ”attendance figure’ rather than the in-game attendance.
by Richard Adamski
Thank you, Mike. I never knew that, but that explains a lot. I really want more butts in seats though. I travel over 4 hours from Chicago to see a few of these games in St. Louis. I am a huge Birmingham Stallions fan and cannot believe they don’t get better attendance there after 3 consecutive championships, which I traveled to see all 3 times (Canton x2 & St. Louis). I love the UFL!!!
by Ken Granito
Just musing: Does anyone find it funny that ESPN reports on the Little League World Series when it doesn’t report the UFL games?
Does anyone else find it funny the league was so quick to anoint Manny Wilkins a UFL MVP candidate with 2TDs and 6 Ints, now they are doing the same with Max Duggan after 2 games 202 yards passing 1 TD and 2 Ints. It seems like the UFL is trying to write a fictional story instead of reporting what they see. All of 1 TD and 2 Ints, even with the help of officials the league could provide.
I think it’s time for me to pick another name for the defense when you write up plays on a chalkboard. The Roughnecks name officially cannot be used.
Still hoping for a Friday Night Football boycott. Remind the league this poor officiating is something that should not be allowed.
by Richard Adamski
I agree with your second point about declaring MVPs too early and before the stats reflect greatness. I disagree with your last point. Even though my wife and I make Friday nights “Movie Night”, we begin that after I watch my Friday night UFL game, which I very much look forward to (and is less than 24 hours from now, as I type this, LOL).
by Randy
I’m a West Coast fan of the league. But with good weather, and outdoor chores and activities, this doesn’t bode well for watching football at midday. The solution… if game recordings were replayed for West Coast viewers, to start in late afternoon or early evening, I would jump all over that!
by Richard Adamski
I hope your West Coast gets the Seattle Sea Dragons back, if I understood your comment correctly. As for your midday activities, I love the UFL so much, I record every game. I try to watch them live when possible, but when I have tennis plans or other, I watch the games at night or even throughout the week. Something about this league makes me interested in watching every play and hearing what these great announcers have to say. I cannot even say that about the NFL, though I do love the NFL also.