Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional information for clarification purposes.
In its fourth season at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego State University football is fighting to fill the stands with fans and build an authentic gameday atmosphere.
On Sept. 20, at the Aztecs’ second home game of the season against Cal, the team had 31,369 fans in attendance, the highest single-game attendance number for SDSU since Oct. 5 of last season against Hawaii. The catch, however, is that the team had given out 4,000 free tickets to the game to the local San Diego community in the weeks leading up to the game.
“4000 extra tickets have gone out in downtown, Pacific Beach, and youth events,” head coach SeanLewis said in a press conference on Sept. 15.
The goal of all this? Coach Lewis says it is to create lifelong Aztec fans and “get them while they’re young.” However, it appears that the real reason for these ticket donations is that the program senses a loss of interest from the San Diego audience and the SDSU student body. An attempt to boost numbers amid declining interest.
Since the inaugural season at Snapdragon Stadium in 2022, the team has experienced a decline in attendance each year. In 2022, the team averaged 29,225 fans per game, including two games with over 30,000 fans in attendance. The following two seasons, in 2023 and 2024, the team saw a dip in attendance, averaging 24,799 fans over those two seasons.
Could the lack of team success over the last four seasons be contributing to the attendance crisis?
“We have to play better, so more people are interested,” coach Lewis said in a press conference on Sept. 15.
SDSU hasn’t had a winning season since 2022, when the team finished with a 7-6 record and placed second in the Mountain West Conference, going 5-3. Since then, the Aztecs have had a record of 4-8 in 2023 and 3-9 in 2024.
SDSU students who are currently enrolled receive free admission to all regular-season football games while supplies last. The Aztec student body has every incentive to attend football games, and for the most part, they do. Looking out at the student section, you will see a packed and loud group that is passionate about Aztec football. However, once halftime hits, the crowd flees, and once the Aztecs return to the field for the second half, the stadium is practically a ghost town.
“My friends and I left after the second quarter at the last game because we were bored and had to go to parties,” Jessie Monteiro, a senior biology major at SDSU, said.
“The stadium can hold 32,000 people, and we have 35,000 students who go to school here,” Lewis said. “I think part of the collegiate experience is going to the athletic events.”
Not only does the student body at SDSU not support Aztec football, but the local San Diego community also plays a role in the attendance crisis.
Fellow Snapdragon Stadium tenants, San Diego FC, have drastically higher attendance numbers than SDSU football. In the team’s inaugural season in 2025, SDFC averaged 28,000 fans per game, 3,200 more fans in attendance than the Aztecs during the 2024 season. SDFC has one of the best records in Major League Soccer during the 2025 season, sitting in first place in the Western Conference and third overall in MLS with 57 points.
Ticket prices are also a contributing factor in the attendance crisis for the Aztecs. The final four games of the 2025 season have a lowest average ticket price of $53.70. For the game against Colorado State on Oct. 3, the cheapest non-resale ticket is $80.25 while the most expensive ticket is $268.95, according to Ticketmaster.
Fellow Mountain West schools Fresno State, Wyoming and Boise State each play home games on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4. Fresno State’s cheapest ticket for its game is $34.58, with San Jose State’s price at $33 and Wyoming’s at $58.43.
“SDSU football should be more popular. But $60 to go watch a subpar college team on a Saturday night in San Diego just isn’t a great selling point,” said a Reddit user in a post.
For now, the Aztecs find themselves at a crossroads: a new stadium, an experienced head coach, and a city that has shown it will turn out when the product excites. Yet with San Diego FC thriving in the same venue and student interest fading after halftime, SDSU football faces the challenge of proving it can be more than a fleeting draw.
What is clear is that winning football and an engaging gameday experience may be the only things strong enough to keep Snapdragon full.
