A record number of people attended the NFL draft in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Here's the total.
A record number of people attended the first day of the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
The league said the city broke the Round 1 attendance record with more than 320,000 fans in attendance. The previous record was set by Detroit in 2024, when more than 275,000 fans attended Day 1. Detroit still holds the record for the three-day event, after more than 700,000 people were in attendance two years ago.
In the Steel City on Thursday, the Draft Theater on the North Shore outside Acrisure Stadium reached capacity around 8:30 p.m, as fans were told to head to the stadium to watch the first round of the draft. The city said it expected 500,000 to 700,000 people to be in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the draft.
Before Thursday's first round, fans of football from around the world spent the day exploring everything Pittsburgh has to offer. KDKA talked to fans from Canada, New Mexico, Idaho and Tennessee, among others.
"Just the atmosphere so far has been crazy, just to see how many people are here," one fan told KDKA. "But this is definitely one for the history books."
The NFL said 600,000 people attended the 2025 draft over three days in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The draft continues in Pittsburgh on Friday with Rounds 2 and 3. Rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7 are set for Saturday. Fans are encouraged to take public transportation to the city.
