PHOENIX — The number of baseball fans flocking to the Valley for spring training continues to go up, according to Cactus League officials.
Nearly 1.7 million fans went to Arizona spring training games in 2025.
That's an increase of over 65,000 fans compared to 2024, nearly 4% growth year-to-year.
“Cactus League attendance continued its steady climb despite challenges beyond our control,” Cactus League Executive Director Bridget Binsbacher said. “Baseball fans turned out in big numbers to bask in the Arizona sunshine and experience baseball in our intimate, beautiful ballparks.”
All told, about 7,569 fans attended each Cactus League game in 2025, and almost 50,000 fans attended games each day of spring training.
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“We are grateful to the visitors and residents who support their teams, and to the eight municipalities and the tribal community who annually host spring training for 15 Major League Baseball clubs,” Binsbacher said. “With six out of 10 fans coming from out of state, attendance is a reliable barometer of spring training’s enduring power as a tourism driver.”
The increase comes in spite of scheduling challenges the league faced this year.
Two of the matchups between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, which are typically some of the most-attended games of the spring, were moved out of the Valley to be played in Japan for the Tokyo series. After that series, while the Cubs came back and played five more games at Sloan Park, the Dodgers did not play another spring training game after March 11.
The Cubs led the Cactus League in attendance for the 12th straight season, averaging roughly 12,850 fans per game at Sloan Park in Mesa.
Both the San Diego Padres and the Athletics saw double-digit gains in attendance this year.
San Diego averaged just over 6,600 fans a game, a 14.4% increase compared to 2024, and the A's saw about 5,900 fans per game at Hohokam Stadium, a nearly 11% increase.
Also, a new Cactus League record attendance was set in 2025. The Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners played in front of 16,161 fans at Sloan Park on March 8.
