Padres Make Attendance History Through First 6 Games at Petco Park This Season

San Diego Padres fans helped make franchise history through the first week of the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

The Padres announced sellouts for all six games of the team's season-opening homestand against the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants. This marks the first time in franchise history that the Padres have sold out the first six games of the year.

“Sometimes you take it for granted — it’s what we’ve come to expect,” manager Craig Stammen said of the big crowds at Petco Park. “But this fan base is pretty awesome. They are a home-field advantage for us.

"When we get cooking like we were — the guys are running the bases and the other team’s throwing the ball away — you can definitely feel that energy and feel that support behind us.”

The Padres have broken their own attendance record in each of the last four seasons.

In 2022, the team ranked fifth in MLB in total attendance at just over 2.9 million. After surpassing 3.2 million in 2023 and 3.3 million in 2024, the Padres finished second in MLB in 2025 with an attendance over 3.4 million. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers (over 4 million) had more fans at home games.

Padres fans have turned Petco Park into one of the game's greatest atmospheres, while also giving San Diego a true home-field advantage. The Padres went 52-29 at Petco Park last year. They were 38-43 on the road.

San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey, who spent 12 years in the National League West as the catcher of the Giants, couldn't help but notice the difference in the atmosphere at Petco Park from his playing days from 2009-21.

“When I played here, especially early on, it felt more like a home game played from [the Giants’] home,” Posey said to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Whereas now, it’s obviously arguably one of the best atmospheres in baseball.”

The Padres' rise in attendance coincides with the team's aggressiveness in spending led by late owner Peter Seidler. That, of course, also coincides with the team's recent on-field success.

The Padres have made the playoffs in four of the last six years. They've also won 90 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history.

Padres Fans Appear to be Helping Team in Upcoming Sale

The more Padres fans continue showing up to games, the more valuable the franchise seemingly gets. That bodes well for the Seidler family as they get closer to finalizing a sale of the franchise.

The Padres are currently fielding final bids from four groups led by billionaire owners. While the Padres were initially expected to break the MLB record by selling for $3 billion, they're now expected to shatter that record, potentially reaching upwards of $3.5 billion.

Forbes recently ranked the Padres as the 10th-most valuable franchise in MLB with a year-over-year change in valuation of 59%.

The Padres are expected to finalize a sale soon, potentially before the end of April.