In its inaugural season, the UFL attracted a total of 45,918 fans across four games during its opening weekend. This was an impressive feat considering the competition from major sports events like the NCAA basketball tournaments, the first full weekend of MLB, and the Easter holiday. The UFL’s games were the first since the merger of the USFL and XFL last year.
The first game saw the Arlington Renegades emerge victorious against the Birmingham Stallions with a score of 27-14 in front of 14,153 fans at Choctaw Stadium in Texas. The second game on Saturday featured the Michigan Panthers defeating the St. Louis Battlehawks 18-16 with 9,444 fans in attendance at Ford Field in Detroit. On Sunday, the San Antonio Brahmas secured a win over the D.C. Defenders with 13,164 fans watching at the Alamodome while Memphis Showboats triumphed over Houston Roughnecks with 9,157 fans at Rice Stadium.
Despite competing with other major sports events, including some that took place over Easter weekend such as NCAA basketball tournaments and MLB’s opening weekend, UFL managed to attract more fans than XFL did during their opener last season. Furthermore, UFL’s opening game in 2023 drew a significant crowd of over 15,000 fans for matchup between Philadelphia Stars and Memphis Showboats at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
