Week 5 of the 2026 UFL season produced the lowest attendance total of the year. Four games drew a combined 30,144 fans — an average of 7,536 per game. That is the first time this season the league-wide average has fallen below Mike Repole's stated floor of 10,000 per game.
No St. Louis home game was on the schedule. The Battlehawks, who account for 34 percent of the league's total attendance through five weeks, played on the road at Orlando. Without that anchor, the four host markets combined for a number that trailed every previous week.
Birmingham Drops to 8,120 in Second Home Game
The D.C. Defenders visited the Birmingham Stallions on Friday night at Protective Stadium. D.C. won 45-28 behind quarterback Jordan Ta'amu, who completed 15 of 22 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns. Receiver Ty Scott caught four passes for 84 yards and two scores. Running back Xazavian Valladay added two rushing touchdowns.
Birmingham drew 8,120 — a sharp decline from the 18,340 who showed up for the home opener in Week 4. That is a drop of more than 10,000 fans, or 56 percent, in one week.
The Stallions entered Week 5 at 1-4 with a new quarterback. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, acquired from Orlando in a trade before Week 4, made his second start for Birmingham. He threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns but also turned the ball over twice. Receiver Justyn Ross caught nine passes for 107 yards.
The home opener had Gucci Mane at halftime and the novelty factor of the first game back at Protective Stadium. Week 5 had neither. The Stallions are now 1-5 — the worst record in the league — and the attendance reflects it. Birmingham's two-game home average sits at 13,230, which is still inside Repole's target range, but the direction of the trend is a concern.
Orlando Draws 9,735 for Battlehawks Visit
The St. Louis Battlehawks visited the Orlando Storm on Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. St. Louis won 25-17, handing Orlando its first loss of the season and dropping the Storm to 4-1.
Orlando drew 9,735 fans. That is up from 8,585 in Week 2 but below the 11,127 from the Week 1 home opener. Inter&Co Stadium has a capacity of 25,500.
The Battlehawks controlled the game from the start. Quarterback Harrison Frost completed 20 of 31 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. St. Louis built a 22-0 lead before Orlando scored 17 points in the second half. The Storm turned the ball over on downs four times and could not sustain drives against the Battlehawks' defense.
Through three home games, Orlando is averaging 9,816 per game. That falls below Repole's 10,000-fan floor but is not far off for an expansion market in its first season.
Houston Posts 5,166 in Third Home Game
The Columbus Aviators visited the Houston Gamblers on Sunday at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston won 17-13 to improve to 2-3.
The announced attendance was 5,166. Shell Energy Stadium has a capacity of about 20,600. The building was about one-quarter full.
Houston's three home games this season have drawn 7,744, 4,880, and 5,166. That is a home average of 5,930 — the worst in the league. The Gamblers have not cracked 8,000 fans at any home game this year.
On the field, Houston ran 85 yards in 13 plays on the opening drive to take a 7-0 lead, then added a second touchdown in the second quarter. Columbus fought back but could not overcome the early deficit. Aviators quarterback Jalan McClendon completed 15 of 22 passes for 160 yards. The loss dropped Columbus to 1-4.
Dallas Draws 7,123 in Home Finale
The Louisville Kings visited the Dallas Renegades on Sunday at Toyota Stadium. Louisville won 47-25 behind four interceptions of Dallas quarterback Austin Reed.
The announced attendance was 7,123. That is up from 5,133 in Week 3, the last time Dallas played at home, but still one of the lower figures in the league this season. This was the Renegades' final home game of the 2026 regular season.
Dallas's four home games drew 8,870, 5,799, 5,133, and 7,123 for a home average of 6,731. The Renegades went 2-2 at Toyota Stadium, and the two wins (Weeks 1 and 3) drew smaller crowds than the two losses.
On the field, the game was a blowout. Reed entered the day as the UFL's leader with 11 touchdown passes and only two interceptions through four weeks. He was picked off four times against Louisville, including an 83-yard pick-six by cornerback Bryce Hall in the second quarter and a 47-yard pick-six by Antonio Grier Jr. in the fourth. Running back Ian Wheeler scored four rushing touchdowns for the Kings. Louisville's defense turned the four interceptions into 27 points.
New Louisville starting quarterback Chandler Rogers, who took over after the Kings traded Jason Bean to D.C. before Week 5, completed 13 of 18 passes for 150 yards with no turnovers. Dallas dropped to 3-2.
Week 5 Attendance at a Glance
Game | Day | Venue | Attendance | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
D.C. Defenders at Birmingham Stallions | Friday | Protective Stadium | 8,120 | DC 45, BIR 28 |
St. Louis Battlehawks at Orlando Storm | Saturday | Inter&Co Stadium | 9,735 | STL 25, ORL 17 |
Columbus Aviators at Houston Gamblers | Sunday | Shell Energy Stadium | 5,166 | HOU 17, CLB 13 |
Louisville Kings at Dallas Renegades | Sunday | Toyota Stadium | 7,123 | LOU 47, DAL 25 |
Total / Average | 30,144 / 7,536 |
Five-Week Attendance Trend
Week | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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) |
Week 3 | 48,591 | 12,148 | St. Louis (20,209) | Dallas (5,133) |
Week 4 | 39,889 | 9,972 | Birmingham (18,340) | Houston (4,880) |
Week 5 | 30,144 | 7,536 | Orlando (9,735) | Houston (5,166) |
Season | 220,784 | 11,039 |
Note: St. Louis had home games in Weeks 1 and 3. Those two games (51,400 total) account for 23 percent of the league's entire season attendance through 20 games.
Home Averages Through Five Weeks
Team | Home Games | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis | 2 | 51,400 | 25,700 |
Birmingham | 2 | 26,460 | 13,230 |
Louisville | 2 | 25,116 | 12,558 |
Columbus | 2 | 23,539 | 11,770 |
D.C. | 2 | 20,107 | 10,054 |
Orlando | 3 | 29,447 | 9,816 |
Dallas | 4 | 26,925 | 6,731 |
Houston | 3 | 17,790 | 5,930 |
What the Numbers Show Through Five Weeks
The season average dropped from 11,915 to 11,039 after Week 5. The schedule mattered. No St. Louis home game, no Birmingham debut effect, no Louisville opener — none of the factors that pushed previous weeks above 12,000 were present.
The home average table tells the story more clearly than any single week. Five teams — St. Louis, Birmingham, Louisville, Columbus, and D.C. — are averaging 10,000 or more per home game. Orlando sits just below that line at 9,816. Dallas and Houston are well below the rest of the league.
Dallas has played its last home game of the season. The Renegades finish with five road games. Their four home dates averaged 6,731 fans in a stadium that holds 20,500. Winning did not fix it — Dallas was 3-0 when the home numbers hit their lowest point in Week 3.
Houston has two home games remaining. The Gamblers need to average 11,105 per game the rest of the way to reach an 8,000 home average for the season, and nothing in the first five weeks suggests that is realistic.
Birmingham's drop from 18,340 to 8,120 between home games is the largest single-week decline of any market this season. The Stallions have six home games remaining and will need to find a baseline closer to the opener than the Week 5 number to stay inside Repole's target.
Week 6 begins Thursday, May 1, with St. Louis at Louisville on FS1.