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The 2026 NFL Draft: A Transformational Moment for Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania

By Ed Lawrence and Megan Jansen, Colliers

The countdown is on for the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh!In April 2026, Pittsburgh will host the NFL Draft: the National Football League’s largest offseason event, and one of the most highly attended fan experiences in American sports. From April 23 to 25, hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to pour into the city, transforming its neighborhoods, riverfronts, and iconic landmarks into a three-day national showcase. As football enthusiasts around the world watch the picks roll in, Pittsburgh will be reintroducing itself on a global stage.

Once a symbol of blue collar industry, the Steel City has re­emerged in the past several decades as a growing hot spot for technological innovation, world-renowned education opportuni­ties, and cultural entertainment. Hosting the NFL Draft provides Pittsburgh with a internationally recognized occasion to project its new identity, complemented by the acceleration of key in­frastructure investments, to tourists, businesses, investors, and residents alike. Pittsburgh is no longer just a steel or football town: it’s a vibrant region with deeply rooted history, and ready to compete as a global destination for talent, investment, and entertainment.

A High-Stakes, High-Profile Event

Since the NFL began rotating the NFL Draft among cities in 2015, the event has grown into a major cultural and economic occasion. Attendance figures have shown a consistent upward trend, with Nashville drawing over 600,000 attendees in 2019, Detroit setting a record with 775,000 attendees in 2024. In 2025, Green Bay matched Nashville’s attendance with 600,000 fans over three days, with the slight decline from 2024 being attributed to a smaller venue. The 2025 Draft also attracted over 250,000 out-of-town visitors and generated an estimated $94 million in statewide economic impact and $20 million locally. Television and digital viewership reached 13.6 million, marking an 11% increase over the previous year and the second-highest viewership in Draft history. (1)

Pittsburgh is preparing to host what may become the largest event in local history, with organizers anticipating between 500,000 and 700,000 attendees over the three-day NFL Draft. This would surpass previous high-profile events such as the 2023 Taylor Swift Eras Tour and the 2022 Backyard Brawl foot­ball rivalry, each of which drew over 70,000 attendees per night. (2) The city has a history of successfully hosting major national events, such as the 2005 Bassmaster Classic, which attracted approximately 100,000 spectators, featured live coverage on ESPN and ESPN2, and was hailed by local leaders as a pivotal moment for Pittsburgh’s image. (3)

The NFL Draft will take place across multiple venues centered around the North Shore, Acrisure Stadium, and Point State Park. Portions of the North Shore Riverfront Park, the Great Lawn, and key lots near West General Robinson Street will be closed off and repurposed for stages, festival experiences, and fan zones. The NFL will operate free events for the public, including the NFL Draft Theater, the NFL Draft Experience, and interactive exhibits showcasing memorabilia, games, and even the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Economic Boost: Regional, Not Just Urban

The 2026 NFL Draft is projected to generate between $120 million and $160 million in economic activity, stemming from a range of inputs, including hotel nights, short-term rentals, ride shares, public transit, meals, nightlife, attractions, shopping, and infrastructure investments. (4)

Downtown Pittsburgh has over 6,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the North Shore event zone, but demand is expected to exceed city limits. Nearby counties, including Allegheny, Washington, Butler, Beaver, and Westmoreland, will see spillover economic activity in hotels, restaurants, and trans­portation hubs. (2)

Importantly, local leaders hope this economic benefit extends beyond the North Shore and Downtown. State Senator Wayne Fontana (Allegheny County), a member of the Sports & Exhibi­tion Authority, emphasized the opportunity to engage neighbor­hoods like the Strip District and South Side with auxiliary events, activations, and promotions that can introduce new visitors to the city’s cultural heartbeat. (4)

Public Investment and Civic Activation

Anticipating and accommodating hundreds of thousands of visitors is a complex undertaking for any metropolis. Extensive logistics coordination, safety planning, community engagement, and key infrastructure improvements must be considered and implemented on an intensely time-sensitive basis. However, these measures also serve as a powerful catalyst for regional upgrades, accelerating investments that might have otherwise remained delayed.

Several such infrastructure and placemaking projects in Pitts­burgh, which have now been aligned and are underway, include:

  1. Point State Park: $3.4 million in upgrades to Point State Park, including new pathways, lighting, and landscaping. (2)
  2. Arts Landing: Creation of Arts Landing, a new green pub­lic park and performance space near Fort Duquesne Boule­vard at a cost of $31 million. (5)
  3. Market Square & Cultural District: Ongoing redevel­opment of Market Square and the Cultural District at an estimated cost of $14 million to $16 million. (6)
  4. Public Infrastructure: Reinforcement of public safety, sanitation, and transportation systems to accommodate hundreds of thousands of guests.

Pittsburgh’s City Council has allocated $1 million in support for the NFL Draft, along with unspecified in-kind services, likely to include public works and public safety personnel. VisitPitts­burgh, the region’s official tourism site, anticipates an additional $3 million from Allegheny County, although the funding has yet to be officially committed. The private sector has added an additional $5 million in business sponsorships and funding. (7)

This multilayered funding approach ensures local government isn’t bearing the brunt of hosting costs alone, and is instead actively being assisted by public, private, and nonprofit sectors in preparing the city to entertain an event of this size.

Pittsburgh’s Identity on Display

For many visitors, especially those traveling from out of state, the NFL Draft may mark their first-ever visit to Pittsburgh. And for some watching from afar, it may be their first extended glimpse at the city since its reinvention.

That makes the NFL Draft a spotlight opportunity for civic story­telling, a rare chance to showcase Pittsburgh’s transformation and boldly broadcast its future to a national audience.

Long known as the “Steel City,” Pittsburgh has in recent decades become a hub for technology, healthcare, research, and higher education. With over 40 colleges and universities in the region, and nationally ranked institutions like Carnegie Mellon Univer­sity and the University of Pittsburgh, it is one of the country’s leading producers of STEM graduates.

The city’s future-forward attitude has attracted companies in AI, robotics, life sciences, and autonomous vehicles, including innovation giants like Google, Amazon, Duolingo, Aurora, and Gecko Robotics. It also remains home to legacy employers like PNC, Nippon U.S. Steel, UPMC, and Highmark.

Pittsburgh’s cultural scene offers richness beyond sports: the city houses nationally-ranked attractions like the Carnegie Mu­seums, Phipps Conservatory, The Warhol Museum, the National Aviary, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Opera. Multiple annual festivals, such as Picklesburgh, the Three Rivers Arts Festival, Anthrocon, and Tekko draw thousands of visitors every year. Neighborhoods like Lawrenceville, the Strip District, and Oakland mix historic architecture with emerging creative energy, each hosting a range of localized entertainment venues, boutique retailers, and eclectic dining options.

Another major indicator of Pittsburgh’s mounting momentum occurred in July 2025, when Carnegie Mellon University host­ed Pennsylvania’s inaugural Energy and Innovation Summit, convened by U.S. Senator David McCormick. The event brought together national energy experts, government leaders including President Donald Trump and Governor Josh Shapiro, and top executives from the tech and energy sectors. CMU’s role as host was no accident; it reflects Pittsburgh’s growing national stature in artificial intelligence, energy transition, cybersecurity, and sus­tainability. The Summit reinforced the city’s position as a driver of next-generation innovation, and hosting global leadership in such capacity is yet another powerful example of Pittsburgh stepping confidently into the national spotlight. (8)

Pittsburgh’s standing as a rising innovation hub was also cemented in Colliers’ 2025 Global Tech Markets, Top Talent Locations Report, where the city placed among the America’s (North, South & Central) top quartile for multiple performance indicators. Pittsburgh ranked #20 overall, #6 in 10-year Capital Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), #9 in the Teaching and Research Index, and #9 in Productivity. (9)

The aforementioned rankings highlight not only strong venture activity within the region, but also the area’s robust conver­gence of physical engineering, software intelligence, and deep academic infrastructure. Pittsburgh is home to firms like Duolingo, Aurora, Gecko Robotics, and Skild AI, and visitors may also witness the logos of Google, Niche, Meta, and Microsoft in the area. In 2024, 182 Pittsburgh-based companies secured in­vestment funding, a 9.6 increase over the previous year, which witnessed $3.12 billion in tech investment.

The region’s prominent existing accolades, coupled with its upward industry trajectory, provide a timely and significant in­tersection with the NFL Draft’s arrival; the area has been primed for national visibility, and the dividends of regional investment are sure to pay off in April 2026 when the city’s future-forward development is on world display.

Regional Accessibility and Infrastructure Strength

Part of what made Pittsburgh a compelling bid for the NFL Draft is its geographic and infrastructural advantage. The city sits within 500 miles of 11 NFL cities and 35 Division I college football programs, making it highly accessible by car, train, and short-haul flight. (2)

Pittsburgh’s international airport is undergoing a $1.7 billion modernization project, set to open by the end of 2025, that will enhance the traveler experience, reduce congestion, and increase regional air service. Downtown is served by light rail, bus rapid transit (in development), and robust pedestrian networks, with more investments planned in wayfinding and micro-mobility.

A Historic Football Legacy

Of course, none of this would matter if Pittsburgh didn’t have football in its bones.

The city’s football pedigree is second to none: home to the Pitts­burgh Steelers, one of the NFL’s most successful and storied franchises, and a fan base renowned for loyalty and pride. In 1974 alone, the Steelers’ draft class included four future Hall of Famers, setting the stage for a dynasty that would win four Super Bowls in six seasons.

That legacy is deeply intertwined with the city’s working-class culture, its neighborhoods, and even its skyline, where Terrible Towels hang from office windows during playoff runs.

Hosting the NFL Draft honors Pittsburgh’s football legacy while signaling a clear direction for the future. The event showcases a city known for producing elite talent and building a culture around performance, pride, and progress. Football remains a core part of the region’s identity, just as innovation and devel­opment define the next phase of growth.

Looking Ahead: More Than a Weekend

Critics sometimes question the long-term benefit of hosting major events like the NFL Draft. Is it worth the money? Do the crowds return? Is the impact real or temporary?

In Pittsburgh’s case, the 2026 NFL Draft is less of an isolated event, and more of a leverage opportunity: the deadline pro­vides a concrete timeline for civic projects, an emotional boost for the region, and a chance to connect economic development, place-making, and tourism into a single narrative.

  1. Media Coverage and branding as a tourism destination.
  2. Repeat Visitation from first-time guests.
  3. Event-Hosting Credibility for future bids (NCAA, All-Star Games, conventions).
  4. Pride & Cohesion among residents, civic leaders, and businesses.
  5. Increased Foot Traffic to legacy businesses and emerg­ing districts.

Opportunities for the Commercial Real Estate and Business Development Community

The benefits of hosting such an event for the city are clear enough. But how can the commercial real estate communi­ty utilize the NFL Draft as a strategic opportunity to engage, activate, and position assets for long-term value? Downtown landlords and brokers should view the event as a live-action marketing platform.

Local leaders and industry experts agree that the Draft pres­ents a rare and powerful opportunity to reshape perceptions and drive long-term engagement. As Cate Irvin, Senior Director of Economic Development at the Pittsburgh Downtown Part­nership, explains: “The Draft places Pittsburgh, and especially Downtown, under a national spotlight. For many visitors, this will be their first time experiencing the city, and how we activate our streets, storefronts, and public spaces will shape lasting impressions. That visibility creates not just a moment of pride, but a powerful opportunity to demonstrate the vibrancy and potential of our urban core. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partner­ship sees this moment as a launchpad for testing new ideas — whether through pop-up retail, short-term leases, or art-based activations that draw people across districts. These experiments can attract new tenants, build stronger investor confidence, and spark relationships that extend far beyond the event itself. If ap­proached with intention, the Draft can help reset perceptions of Downtown and accelerate momentum that endures well after the crowds have gone.”

Retail property owners may consider offering short-term or pop-up leases to capitalize on the surge in foot traffic and visi­tor demand, similar to successful activations seen during past Super Bowls and Drafts. These temporary leases can attract national brands, local artisans, and experiential retailers looking to test the Pittsburgh market. Office and mixed-use landlords should explore scheduling property tours, investor meetings, and broker events during the Draft to showcase space in a high-energy, high-visibility environment. Hospitality and food and beverage operators can benefit from collaborative promo­tions and cross-district activations that draw visitors beyond the North Shore into neighborhoods like the Strip District, Law­renceville, and the Cultural District.

Patrick Sentner, Executive Vice President of Colliers’ Occupier Services team in Pittsburgh, adds: “Downtown Pittsburgh will very likely be at its all-time peak from an activity and vibrancy standpoint. This is the perfect time to prepare not only mar­keting videos and brochures for future tenants, but it is also the time for short-form videos to be made to truly highlight Pittsburgh as home for future office tenants.”

Patricia Horvatich, Senior Vice President of Business Investment at the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, emphasizes the broader impact of the event on the Steel City region:

“The Draft provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show­case the region’s unique assets. It’s like giving a site tour to more than half a million people. Each person, whether a pros­pect, a potential tenant, or an influencer, will have the oppor­tunity to see what was, what is, and — most importantly — what could be. Whether they fly into the new airport, walk the streets of our revitalized downtown, take in Pittsburgh’s iconic skyline, or experience our green spaces, they can imagine the future with us. With historic investment levels already flowing into the region in 2025 — from Frontier’s power generation in Beaver County to Homer City’s data center campus in Indiana County to the soon-to-be-opened University of Pittsburgh’s BioForge Biomanufacturing Center in Allegheny County’s thriving life sciences sector — Pittsburgh is proving that next is now.”

CRE and business development professionals are encouraged to coordinate with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Visit­Pittsburgh, the Sports & Exhibition Authority, and local busi­ness improvement districts to align messaging and maximize exposure. With the right positioning, the NFL Draft can serve as a launchpad for new tenant relationships, increased leasing ve­locity, and renewed investor interest in Pittsburgh’s urban core.

Sources

(1) “2025 NFL Draft, A Success Story in Attendance, Eco­nomics, and Safety,” Forbes, April 28, 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marklaso¬ta/2025/04/28/2025-nfl-draft-a-success-in-attendance-economics-and-safety/

(2) “A Uniquely Pittsburgh NFL Draft,” Next Generation Newsroom, August 26, 2025. https://www.nextgenerationnewsroom.org/news/a-unique¬ly-pittsburgh-nfl-draft

(3) “Pittsburgh Lands Bassmaster Classic for 2005,” Pitts­burgh Post Gazette, June 16, 2004. https://www.heraldstandard.com/sports/2004/jun/16/ pittsburgh-lands-bassmaster-classic

(4) “City of Pittsburgh Excited for Economic Impact of Host­ing 2026 NFL Draft,” KDKA News, May 23, 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/city-of-pitts¬burgh-economic-impact-hosting-2026-nfl-draft/

(5) “New Public Greenspace Planned in Downtown Pitts­burgh is Now Fully Funded,” WESA, June 2, 2025. https://www.wesa.fm/arts-culture/2025-06-03/arts-land¬ing-downtown-pittsburgh-funded

(6) “With Final Approval, Market Square Revitalization to Start in April,” February 12, 2025. https://triblive.com/local/with-final-approval-market-square-revitalization-to-start-in-april/

(7) “Pittsburgh Approves $1M Outlay for 2026 NFL Draft,” Pittsburgh Tribune Review, October 1, 2024. https://triblive.com/sports/pittsburgh-approves-1m-outlay-for-2026-nfl-draft/

(8) “Energy and Innovation Summit Brings Government and Industry Leadership to CMU,” Carnegie Mellon Univer­sity Website, July, 2025. https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2025/july/ energy-and-innovation-summit-brings-government-and-in¬dustry-leadership-to-cmu

(9) “Global Tech Markets, Top Talent Locations 2025,” Col­liers International, July 9, 2025. https://www.colliers.com/en-xa/research/global-tech-mar¬kets-top-talent-location

(10) “Pittsburgh Tech Saw Record Venture Capital Invest­ments in 2024,” Pittsburgh Business Times, March 21, 2025. https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/inno/stories/ news/2025/03/20/pittsburgh-venture-capital-record.htm-l?ana=wpxi

  • Edward Lawrence ›

    Edward brings 18 years of experience with Colliers, where he has built deep expertise across multiple facets of commercial real estate. Formerly a partner in the Pittsburgh office, he has represented office tenants and landlords while also working across retail, investment, and industrial sectors. Now as Research Director, Edward delivers data-driven insights and strategic research support to Colliers’ brokerage teams and clients. He organizes comprehensive market intelligence and collaborates with marketing to develop materials that strengthen client relationships and support new business opportunities.

  • Megan Jansen ›

    Megan is a creative professional with a background in graphic design, illustration, and marketing consultation. Currently working at Colliers' Pittsburgh firm as a Senior Marketing Specialist, her responsibilities primarily involve designing marketing collateral, agency pitches, email blasts, quarterly market reports, and monthly brokerage newsletters. Additionally, Megan provides assistance with event coordination, light market research, project coordination, and administrative duties. As of 2024, Megan works largely with the Pittsburgh firm's Office Agency and Occupier Services brokerage teams.