San Diego State is addressing attendance issues for football games, lowering 2026 season-ticket prices 4% to 12% for most seats and as much as 35% on some seats for the six-game home schedule at Snapdragon Stadium. Another significant change: the “stadium excellence gift” charge has been elimina ted. The charge, which helped pay for the $310 million stadium, ranged from $100 to $1,500 depending on the ticket package. Included in an email targeting SDSU season-ticket renewals was a message from SDSU athletic director John David Wicker: “Aztec Nation, we’ve heard you. Over the past few seasons, ticket pricing became a major point of conversation within our community. For many fans, the total cost of attending games felt out of reach. When fewer fans are in the stadium, the energy shifts, and that’s not the home-field advantage our student-athletes deserve. “As we prepare to compete in the Pac-12 Conference, we are focused on strengthening the connection between our team and the San Diego community and building an atmosphere worthy of this next chapter. This is about more than pricing. It’s about community. It’s about pride. It’s about packing the stadium. Because the truth is simple: You Determine What Makes Us Great.” Ticket packages for the 2026 season include five price points, ranging from $175 to $775. Costs were reduced $25 on each plan. A sixth price point — $1,200 per seat ($200 per game) — was eliminated. The seats, which are located on the west (home) side between the 25-yard lines, are now priced at $775 for the season, or $129 per game. Prices were not released for premium plans on the stadium’s lower west (home) side, with those interested referred to the SDSU ticket office at (619) 594-9834. Season-ticket sales begin Wednesday for current season-ticket holders. Sales to new customers begin on Feb. 25. The Aztecs open the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against Portland State at Snapdragon Stadium. The six-game home schedule includes a Sept. 19 game against James Madison before the Aztecs debut in the new Pac-12 on Oct. 3 against Texas State. SDSU’s other conference home games are against Fresno State (Oct. 17), Washington State (Oct. 31) and Utah State (Nov. 14). Season-ticket sales have dropped each year since Snapdragon opened four years ago: from 15,973 in 2022 to 10,718 in 2023, 8,755 in 2024 and 8,111 in 2025. The downward trend reflected three straight losing seasons from 2022-24, including a 3-9 finish in Sean Lewis’ first year as head coach. There has been a corresponding drop in attendance as well: 29,225 announced/21,129 turnstile (2022), 24,832/17,068 (2023), 24,770/16,767 (2024), 26,189/17,386 (2025). SDSU officials are optimistic about sales this year following a 9-4 season that represented one of the biggest turnarounds in college football and the Aztecs’ move to the Pac-12. Season-ticket prices have now dropped from 25% to 56% at the various price points since Snapdragon opened in 2022. More than 5,000 seats have been shifted from higher to lower price points during the past four years. This year’s season-ticket price reductions position the Aztecs to also lower the cost of single-game seats, which are not expected to go on sale until July. While SDSU experienced on-field success last season, it did not translate to strong walk-up sales. That could be attributed, in part, to ticket prices. The team’s most well-attended games were against Cal and Colorado State in the first half of the season. The Aztecs won both games amid a six-game winning streak, but attendance dropped in each of their final three home games. One challenge: most tickets were priced well above $50 (plus fees), with some as high as $253. Another challenge has been maintaining student engagement. SDSU students, whose tuition includes a charge for SDSU athletics, receive free tickets to all athletic events. The school allocates 5,000 tickets (or more, depending on demand) to students for football games. Scanned student tickets for the 2025 season opener against Stony Brook was 5,455. There were also more than 5,000 students for the Cal game and more than 4,400 against Colorado State. But student attendance was only 2,295 for the Nov. 1 game against Wyoming and fell below 2,000 in the final two home games against Boise State (1,989) and San Jose State (1,792). An SDSU official noted that student attendance challenges predate Snapdragon Stadium. ...read more read less