Best & Worst Cities for Football Fans (2026)

For many Americans, football is much more than a sport — it’s a cherished tradition. Fans pour their hearts into the game, erupting in cheers when their team scores a touchdown and groaning in frustration when they fall short. No other sport comes close in popularity – 83 of the 100 most-watched sporting events last year were NFL games, including the Super Bowl.

Of course, some cities deliver a better football atmosphere than others. WalletHub analyzed over 250 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional football team, evaluating them across 21 key metrics. Our data set ranges from the number of NFL and college football teams to stadium capacity to fan engagement.

“Living in one of the best football cities means much more than attending games and watching your hometown team on TV every weekend in the fall. Faithfully following your team on social media, spending big on tickets and merchandise, and taking part in local traditions are just some of the factors that make the best football cities stand out. Having a football team with a winning culture and multiple championships doesn’t hurt, either.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Main Findings

Best Football Cities for Fans

NFL Teams

Best-Performing

• 1. Kansas City, MO
• 2. Philadelphia, PA
• 3. Buffalo, NY
• 4. Detroit, MI
• 5. Baltimore, MD

Worst-Performing

• 26. Glendale, AZ
• 27. Boston, AZ
• 28. Nashville, TN
• 29. Chicago, IL
• 30. Charlotte, NC

Best City vs. Worst City: 3x Difference

Kansas City, MO vs. Charlotte, NC

College Football (FBS & FCS) Teams

Best-Performing

• 1. Brookings, SD
  
• 2. Athens, GA
• 3. Columbus, OH
• 4. Eugene, OR
• 5. Ann Arbor, MI

Worst-Performing

• 237. Murray, KY
• 238. Natchitoches, LA
• 239. Itta Bena, MS
• 240. Greeley, CO
• 241. Macomb, IL

Best City vs. Worst City: 8x Difference

Brookings, SD vs. Macomb, IL

Avg. Ticket Price for NFL Game

Lowest

• 1. Nashville, TN
• 2. New Orleans, LA
• 3. Jacksonville, FL
• 4. Cleveland, OH
• 5. Indianapolis, IN

Highest

• 26. Green Bay, WI
• 27. Chicago, IL
• 28. Las Vegas, NV
• 29. Philadelphia, PA
• 30. Detroit, MI

Best City vs. Worst City: 6x Difference

Nashville, TN vs. Detroit, MI

Min. Season-Ticket Price for College Football Game

Lowest

• 1. New Britain, CT
• 2. Dayton, OH
• 3. West Haven, CT
• 4. Davidson, NC
• 5. Erie, PA

Highest

• T-236. College Station, TX
• T-236. Auburn, AL
• 238. Athens, GA
• 239. Lincoln, NE
• 240. Columbus, OH
• 241. Gainesville, FL

Best City vs. Worst City: 22x Difference

New Britain, CT vs. Gainesville, FL

NFL Stadiums

Most Accessible

• 1. Green Bay, WI
• 2. Buffalo, NY
• 3. Glendale, AZ
• 4. Pittsburgh, PA
• 5. Cincinnati, OH

Least Accessible

• 26. Philadelphia, PA
• 27. Houston, TX
• 28. Chicago, IL
• 29. Los Angeles, CA
• 30. New York, NY

Best City vs. Worst City: 79x Difference

Green Bay, WI vs. New York, NY

College Stadiums

Most Accessible

• T-1. Fayette, MS
• T-1. Itta Bena, MS
• T-1. West Point, NY
• T-1. Clemson, SC
• 5. Grambling, LA

Least Accessible

• 238. St. Paul, MN
• 239. Washington, DC
• 240. Portland, OR
• 241. Indianapolis, IN
• 242. New York, NY

NFL Fans

Most Engaged

• T-1. Green Bay, WI
• T-1. Pittsburgh, PA
• 3. Boston, MA
• 4. New Orleans, LA
• 5. Buffalo, NY

Least Engaged

• 26. Chicago, IL
• 27. Houston, TX
• 28. Jacksonville, FL
• 29. Los Angeles, CA
• 30. New York, NY

Best City vs. Worst City: 69x Difference

Green Bay, WI vs. New York, NY

College Football Fans

Most Engaged

• T-1. Clemson, SC
• T-1. State College, PA
• T-1. Tuscaloosa, AL
• 4. Oxford, MS
• 5. Starkville, MS

Least Engaged

• 239. San Jose, CA
• 240. Portland, OR
• 241. Baltimore, MD
• 242. Indianapolis, IN
• 243. New York, NY

Show More

In-Depth Look at the Best Cities for Football Fans

Pittsburgh, PA

The best city for football fans is Pittsburgh, thanks to the larger-than-life presence of its NFL team, the Steelers. The Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl victories, with six, and last won “The Big Game” in the 2008-2009 season. Football fans in the city can watch games at the 68,400-seat Acrisure Stadium, which also hosts its hometown NCAA football team, the University of Pittsburgh Panthers.

When it comes to the NFL specifically, the Pittsburgh Steelers have some of the most engaged football fans in the country in terms of social media likes and followers per capita. Pittsburgh has some of the most loyal fans, too, as evidenced by ticket revenues, social media engagement, and the home team’s ability to outperform its roster’s payroll.

Pittsburgh football fans don’t have quite the same rabid enthusiasm for the Pitt Panthers college program, but the city’s passion for its legendary NFL franchise secures it the number one spot.

Dallas, TX

Dallas is the second-best city for football fans because it is home to the Dallas Cowboys, the most valuable sports franchise in the world, worth a staggering $13 billion. This historic franchise has an 11-figure price tag for a reason: The Cowboys have five Super Bowl titles, tied with the San Francisco 49ers for the second-most all-time. Dallas also has the most NFC East division championships to its name, at 26.

As evidenced by their high value, the Dallas Cowboys are still one of the most popular teams in terms of ticket sales and fan engagement despite not having played in a Super Bowl since they last won it all in the 1995-96 season.

Green Bay, WI

The third-best city for football fans is Green Bay, WI, home of the NFL team the Packers. Green Bay’s legendary Lambeau Field is one of the largest NFL stadiums in the country, with a whopping 81,441-seat capacity, and filled with crazed fans, many of whom will be wearing the classic “cheesehead” headgear in honor of one of the state’s biggest culinary contributions. Green Bay residents literally have a stake in their hometown Packers, as it is the only community-owned pro sports team in the U.S.

The Green Bay Packers have won four Super Bowl titles, the most recent coming in the 2010-11 season, tying them for the third-most championships with the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Giants. Although other cities have more wins, Green Bay gets pushed up in the rankings by the rabid support of its fans, who rank the most engaged and are the second-most loyal in the country.

Ranking by City Size

Ask the Experts

Certain qualities make a city a good environment for football fans. For more insight, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What are the biggest challenges facing professional football today?
2. How can the game be adapted to better ensure the long term health and safety of players?
3. What are some strategies for fans to enjoy watching football (at home, in a bar, at the stadium) without breaking the bank?
4. Is having a professional football team an economic drain or benefit for cities?
5. Does hosting the Super Bowl economically help or hurt the host city?

Ask the Experts

Ron Wade
Clinical Assistant Professor of Sport Management at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology
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Paul H. Haagen
Professor of Law - Duke University School of Law
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Dr. BerNadette Lawson-Williams
DSM, Professor of Sport Management; Founder/Coordinator of Esports and Gaming Trifecta, 1st at an HBCU, Online Sport Management, Coordinator - Johnson C. Smith University
Read More

Coral R Bender
Assistant Professor, Sport Management - University of Tampa
Read More

Mike Lorenc
Clinical Assistant Professor, Sport Management Program - University of Michigan
Read More

Dr. Jim Zimmerman
Ed.D., Chair of the Department of Business and Information Technology, Sport Management Program Director – University of Saint Mary
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

In order to determine the best and worst cities for football fans, WalletHub compared 253 U.S. cities based on 21 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for football fans.

For our sample, we chose cities with at least one professional football team (NFL) or at least one college football team (NCAA, including FBS and FCS). We then grouped the cities by division — “Pro Football” and “College Football” — and assigned weights to each divisional category based on its popularity among fans.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. For our “Ranking by City Size,” we categorized each city according to the following population-size guidelines:

• Large cities: More than 300,000 people
• Midsize cities: 100,000 to 300,000 people
• Small cities: Fewer than 100,000 people

Pro Football – Total Points = 75

• Number of NFL Teams: Full Weight (~8.82 Points)
• Performance Level of NFL Team: Full Weight (~8.82 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated using the past three seasons’ averages and the following formula: Number of Wins / Total Number of Games Played.
• Number of NFL Championships Wins: Full Weight (~8.82 Points)
• Number of NFL Division Championship Wins: Half Weight (~4.41 Points)
• Number of Hall-of-Fame Head Coaches: Half Weight (~4.41 Points)
• Franchise Value: Half Weight (~4.41 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the team(s) estimated value in millions of dollars.
• Average Ticket Price for an NFL Game: Full Weight (~8.82 Points)
• NFL Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~8.82 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of Twitter followers and Facebook “Likes” (on each team’s official accounts) per capita.
• Number of Coaches in Past 10 Seasons: Half Weight (~4.41 Points)
  Note: “Past 10 Seasons” include seasons 2016–2017 to 2025–2026.
• NFL Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~4.41 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Stadium Capacity / Total City Population.
• Attendance: Half Weight (~4.41 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Average Home-Fan Attendance / Stadium Capacity.
• Popularity Index: Half Weight (~4.41 Points)

College Football – Total Points = 25

• Number of College Football (FBS & FCS) Teams: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Performance Level of College Football (FBS & FCS) Team(s): Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated using the past three seasons’ averages and the following formula: Number of Wins / Total Number of Games Played.
• Number of College Football (FBS & FCS) Championship Wins: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Number of College Football (FBS & FCS) Conference Championship Wins: Half Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Number of Hall-of-Fame Head Coaches: Half Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Minimum Season-Ticket Price for College Football (FBS & FCS) Game: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• College Football Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of Twitter followers and Facebook “Likes” (on each team’s official accounts) per capita.
• Number of Coaches in Past 10 Seasons: Half Weight (~1.79 Points)
  Note: “Past 10 Seasons” include seasons 2016–2017 to 2025–2026.
• College Football (FBS & FCS) Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~1.79 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Stadium Capacity / Total City Population.

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of January 5, 2026 from the U.S. Census Bureau, ESPN, NCAA, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sports Reference, SportsCasting, Forbes, Fanalytics, each team’s website and social media accounts.

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