2026 NFL Draft Sets Attendance Record, How Many Fans Watched Round 1 in Pittsburgh?

The first round of the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh set a new attendance record.

Over 320,000 fans were in the area around Acrisure Stadium to watch Round 1 on Thursday night, the most in NFL history (via Front Office Sports).

The previous record was set by Detroit during the 2024 draft, as 275,000 people were in attendance for the first night.

Pittsburgh could also break Detroit's overall attendance record of 700,000 for the entire draft that was set in 2024, per Will Graves of the Associated Press.

For the initial round of the 2025 NFL draft in Green Bay, 205,000 fans showed up.

Thursday's record-setting attendance doesn't come as a massive surprise, as Pittsburgh was preparing for a large turnout.

CEO of Visit Pittsburgh Jerad Bachar previously told USA Today's Chris Bumbaca that Pittsburgh modeled its estimate to 500,000-700,000 fans showing up over the three days that the draft will be held.

The first round of the 2026 draft was an eventful one, as eight trades took place after the Las Vegas Raiders selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick.

The draft will continue on Friday, as the second round is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET.