PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Mayor Ed Gainey is predicting a million people will attend the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.

He spoke one-on-one with KDKA-TV hours after being joined by Governor Josh Shapiro and Steelers owner Art Rooney at an Acrisure Stadium press conference.

Speaking directly with KDKA, we asked the mayor about the impact the draft will have on the city, what he’s learned from past drafts.

“Today is a great day,” Gainey said. “It’s extremely exciting. I think it’s great for the city.”

Bringing the draft to Pittsburgh has been Gainey’s dream for some time. He’s made it a priority, he said, sharing he brought the idea to Art Rooney during their first meeting after Gainey took office. Gainey said the Steelers have six Super Bowl Titles, and are due to host a draft.

Gainey has watched the growth of the draft from an event inside of Radio City Music Hall to the massive outdoor event that travels to a new city each year.

“I think it explains the phenomenon of football in this nation and in this city, we are a football city we are a football county, we are a football region,” Gainey said.

It’s part of the reason he is predicting the 2026 Draft will be the biggest-ever. He thinks it could be especially popular for Pittsburgh natives who have moved away.

“This will give people the opportunity to come back and see the new Pittsburgh, see the new city, see how we are doing things nowadays,” Gainey said.

He thinks they’ll be impressed.

Also helping attendance reach those new heights is the proximity of Pittsburgh to other NFL cities, he said. 

Asked by KDKA what he learned from his trip to the NFL Draft in Detroit, Gainey said collaboration with public safety services is critical. 

That goes along with making people can move around without human gridlock.

“I think going there and and listening to them having it in downtown and the impact it had for businesses inside the city was critical for me to hear and know,” Gainey said.

We asked Gainey about if the city made any commitments to the NFL to land the draft.

He responded saying everyone involved has been able to talk about the services they would deliver. 

When pressed for specific, Gainey said it’s something that could be discussed later.

The NFL did not require any tax breaks or incentives for the draft, Gainey told KDKA.

Gainey said the NFL is working out any logistical commitments they’d be making with the city.

Governor Shapiro said at the press conference earlier in the day that Pittsburgh would have the state’s support.

“The commonwealth will make the investment,” Shapiro said. “We’re prepared to make this an awesome experience for everybody.

The 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit brought 775,000 people to the city over the course of 3 days. Gainey said Pittsburgh can hit a million.

Visit Pittsburgh told KDKA last year that Allegheny County has 18,000 hotel rooms. 

When we told the mayor about that figure, and asked if the city has the space for the million people he predicts will attend the draft, Gainey said he believes we do.

When pressed to learn where, Gainey said he doesn’t know if the 18,000 number includes Airbnbs. In addition he said he does not know if it includes the instances where people stay with family members.

He said counties around Pittsburgh, like Westmoreland, Washington, and Butler counties will all benefit as a lot of people will stay in hotels outside Allegheny County. 

“As long as they are close they will stay at those hotels,” Gainey said.  

During the early afternoon press conference, Visit Pittsburgh CEO Jerad Bachar said the NFL has spent a considerable amount of time in Pittsburgh figuring out logistics.

“They’re satisfied with everything that we have on offer, including the number of hotel rooms,” Bachar said.

Gainey said there is a lot of work ahead, but it will all be worth it.

“It’s all city, it’s all football, it’s all team. Let’s go get it,” Gainey said. 

We also asked the mayor about the specific location of the draft stage and how Point State Park would be used. 

He said the NFL hasn’t finalized those details yet so they don’t have anything they can share. 

PITTSBURGH — Wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers cap, Gov. Josh Shapiro joined team and local officials inside Acrisure Stadium on Thursday to celebrate the NFL draft coming to the City of Champions in 2026.

“Pittsburgh is the absolute best choice to host the NFL draft,” said Shapiro, who promised that the state is prepared to invest in nearby Point State Park, across the Allegheny River from Acrisure, to make sure it is ready to host draft-related events.

“This is going to be a huge regional event and Allegheny County is all in,” Shapiro said.

The governor said the draft will occur during the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States in Philadelphia.

In 2026, Shapiro said Pennsylvania will host World Cup matches, an MLB All-Star game in Philadelphia, March Madness games, the PGA Championship in Delaware County and now the NFL draft in Pittsburgh.

“This couldn’t happen at a more important time for our nation and, dare I say, a more important time for the city of Pittsburgh. This is a city and an organization on the rise,” Shapiro said. “We are showing that we can do big things in Pittsburgh and all across Pennsylvania, and I, for one, can’t wait to see the commissioner stand up and announce the final pick of the first round in the 2026 NFL draft going to the Pittsburgh Steelers after they win the Super Bowl the year before.”

Officials touted the anticipated economic boon to the city and county with Pittsburgh a day’s drive from over 10 other NFL cities and 35 Division I colleges.

Jerad Bachar, president and CEO of VisitPittsburgh, said that the draft, based on previous ones, could have an economic impact between $120 million and $165 million, much of it spent at businesses such as hotels, bars and restaurants.

“We anticipate an incredible turnout for Draft Pittsburgh,” he said.

The NFL draft has become a marquee three-day event for the league as it travels around the country drawing enormous crowds to downtown areas.

An estimated 775,000 people attended this year’s draft in April in Detroit, besting the record of 600,000 set in 2019 in Nashville. In 2017, Philadelphia hosted the draft, which drew about 250,000.

“This is going to do even better,” said Shapiro, noting that Pennsylvania will become the first state to host two NFL drafts.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey was bolder in his predictions, though.

“Everybody wants to talk about numbers. Here’s my number, I predict we have over a million people come to our city,” he said.

Gainey said that fans will be drawn by legendary Steelers moments such as Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception, Lynn Swann’s “acrobatic catch” against the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X and James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.

“We have so many memories that no matter what city you go to, no matter where you’re at, one thing you will find is a Steelers bar or restaurant,” said Gainey, his voice rising as if he were giving a Sunday morning sermon.

“People remember the old times that they had to leave because of the closing of the steel mills,” he said. “Now they get to bring back their grandkids and their kids so that they can see what special place raised them up, and regardless of where they lived, why they still call our beloved city home.

Art Rooney II, the Steelers owner and president, said the 2026 draft festivities will include the main stage in the area just outside the second-floor windows of Acrisure Stadium where Thursday’s news conference was held.

Besides events on the city’s North Side where the stadium sits, Rooney has also said that there will be activities planned for Point State Park, where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio River, as well as Downtown Pittsburgh, the Central Business District and the Strip District, an entertainment and eating destination.

“A lot of hard work went into getting to this day,” said Rooney, who added that the draft will serve as a showcase for western Pennsylvania’s deep ties to football and the many stars, including Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana to name a few, that the region has produced.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said a $1.5 billion modernization project for Pittsburgh International Airport, including a new terminal, will greet visitors who should take advantage of the city’s “cultural assets” and “award-winning” food scene.

“I’m excited that people from all over will have the opportunity to truly gawk at our six Lombardi trophies and also experience our neighborliness,” she said.

I just want to let you know how impressed I was during an early May visit to the city of Cleveland. It has been years since I have visited. You should be proud of what city government along with residents have done to make it so welcoming. Everyone we met was friendly and very hospitable.

I have lived in Pittsburgh most of my life and have seen the decline of that city economically and visually, as well as how unsafe it has become due to daily violence. So, as I compare these two cities, I see that one city government has had vision and was not afraid of change, while the other (Pittsburgh) is stuck in the mud with little-to-no vision on how to change. I want to give credit where credit is due.

I look forward to taking many more trips to visit Cleveland with my family. Having vision, taking chances and showing residents where their tax dollars go can help make people feel more vested and better able to appreciate the city in which they live.

Name withheld by request,

Pittsburgh

The writer is an educator and resident of Pittsburgh.