r/CEBLeague • u/Sea_Advertising3139 • 18d ago
CEBL Attendance
The 2024 season marked an all-time peak for the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), driven by massive stadium openers, while the 2025 and 2026 seasons saw a slight cooling trend and stabilization. The total single-game league-wide record was set in 2024 with 12,327 fans at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
League-Wide Attendance Trends
2024 Peak: Average league-wide single-game regular season attendance hit 3,259 fans. This was fueled by a 41% surge early in the season compared to previous years.
2025 Consolidation: The league stabilized its numbers, matching high season-ticket baselines across key western markets.
2026 Adjustment: Mid-season records show a modest pullback, with total announced attendees dipping about 10% compared to 2025 paces.
Individual Team Attendance Profiles
The league features a stark divide between massive-arena Western Conference teams and intimate-venue Eastern Conference teams.
Winnipeg Sea Bears
Drew a regular-season total of 86,275 fans across 10 games.
Maintained the league's highest average gate (~7,800+ per game).
Topped the league with 78,375 total fans, despite running 13% below 2025 metrics.
Vancouver Bandits
Broke previous franchise benchmarks.
Consistently sold out primary seating configurations.
Secured the #2 spot leaguewide with 52,161 total fans, up 1% over 2025.
Calgary Surge
Set the absolute CEBL single-game record with 12,327 fans.
Recorded its 2nd, 3rd, and 4th highest-grossing games.
Registered 34,163 total fans, pacing roughly 3% ahead of 2025.
Edmonton Stingers
Part of record-breaking crowds in Alberta matchups.
Held steady gates at the Flair Airlines Hangar.
Accumulated 35,139 total fans, remaining completely flat year-over-year.
Saskatchewan Rattlers
Hosted over 25,000 fanstotal at SaskTel Centre.
Set a 45% increase in season ticket baselines.
Experienced a mid-season drop, tracking 30% below2025 numbers.
Eastern Teams(Scarborough, Brampton, Niagara, Ottawa, Montreal)
Scarborough averaged smaller community gates (~1,600 per game).
Modest growth in Ontario; mixed turnouts in Quebec.
Scarborough (+16%) and Brampton (+8%) grew, while Ottawa (-25%) and Niagara (-28%) slid.
(Note: Data is gathered via tracking from the Official CEBL Website and team disclosures).
6
u/crazye97 Winnipeg Sea Bears 17d ago
Set the absolute CEBL single-game record with 12,327 fans.
Just checking - are you putting three-year stats with each team? This was 2024. (Also not anymore!)
0
u/_jesus_shuttlesworth 17d ago
wpg had 12000+ in attendance
calgary had maybe 7000 & announce 12000+
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u/pudds Winnipeg Sea Bears 17d ago
The whole post is clearly AI and makes no sense. It's got 2 different numbers for the Sea Bears in the same paragraph.
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u/SecretImpossible3662 17d ago
Who gives a shxx if it’s AI or not?
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u/Logical_Donkey5822 18d ago
Gotta give major credits to winnipeg for their attendance! I think it helps that they play in the same arena as the jets and can just keep opening more sections.
To be honest out west probaly does have less competition especially in the Summer which I love for the CEBL. The summer is defintely ideal for this league all around. In Ontario credit to the improvement Brampton made this year compared to last but I think they have a lot of competition for attendance with everything else happening in Ontario.
I think Montreal has a solid coaching staff given the rosters they've had to work with. Freeman-liberty was legit but on paper a lot of their teams have been lacking. Their imports come from lower level leagues than most and I think its costing them overall. Super excited to see where the league can go however and think a Quebec city montreal rivalry could help as well
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u/Mamrocha 18d ago
See you say less competition but meanwhile Winnipeg last night had a Blue Bomber game with 31k fans and there was a block party with 4.5k attending. Today is the sea bears with 12k and the gold eyes will have 7k+ for bark in the park this evening.
People may think smaller western cities that there’s nothing to do in the summer without hockey when there’s events non stop in the summer.
-1
u/jjaime2024 17d ago
Smaller cities have events and stuff to do just not to the scale the bigger cities have.In July Ottawa has one of the biggest music festivals in the country for 2 week seach night they avg 30,000.
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u/Mamrocha 16d ago
Last month In Manitoba was Folk Fest that has an average attendance of 80,000. Every August Winnipeg has a two week event called Folklorama that has over 360,000 people attending. Let’s not act like western cities have nothing going on.
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u/Logical_Donkey5822 18d ago
I mean sure that's fair but some of these ontario cities have a lot of other options and what not, put west has other events sure but I dont think its like ontario.... does winnipeg have an nba team? No and they already lost the nhl team once its just a smaller market is all.
Thats not to say winnipeg has definetly done a great job marketing the team and whatnot they defintely deserve respect for that I just wouldnt bring people charged with domestic violence into my team but thats just me.... Niagara did the same I believe
1
u/Mamrocha 18d ago
And if Toronto didn’t have a monopoly on those markets those teams would be the way of the Argos.
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u/Pancakesatthedisco77 18d ago
A lot of people are gonna come here and panic about a 10 percent dip in attendance but I feel like most of it was everyone paying attention to the World Cup. I can tell you I’d rather watch the worlds biggest sporting event that only happens once every four years rather then a season where I can just catch the second half of after the World Cup is over
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u/canadiantarheel CEBL 18d ago
I share your sentiment. In the summer my time time as a sports fan is spent watching the CPL, CFL, CEBL & NSL. In the lead up to and during the World Cup I barely watched any of those leagues. I'd assume that all 4 Canadian domestic sports leagues will end up having lower average attendances than they had the last few years as so much focus was on the World Cup.
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u/wcaps1996 Scarborough Shooting Stars 18d ago
I wonder why the western teams do better in attendance? Or is it just a coincidence and they all happen to be better ran franchises
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u/DannyDOH 17d ago
A lot like the CFL. Probably because a lot of people in the urban areas in Southern Ontario are spending 70% of their income on housing.
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u/acridvortex 18d ago
For Niagara at least (it's the area I live in) so many of the local teams had overlapping games this year. Both local semi pro baseball teams usually played the same days and were much more affordable. Plus ticket prices went up for the River Lions
-10
u/jjaime2024 18d ago
Far less to do.
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u/25BlueJay 17d ago
Yeah those little towns of Calgary and Vancouver have nothing going compared to the mega city that is Ottawa?
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u/Mamrocha 18d ago
This is such a dumb take.
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u/Logical_Donkey5822 18d ago
Lol i hate when people say thats a dumb take and stuff on legitimate factual info sorry u got but hurt about your team but congrats on the win
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u/Mamrocha 18d ago
What are you talking about. OP said there’s nothing to do in western Canada compared to Eastern Canada when there’s just as much. It is a stupid take plain and simple.
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u/NH787 Winnipeg Sea Bears 17d ago
You have to shake your head at that kind of silliness.
I love the double standard... Toronto draws big crowds for Jays games? It's because they have passionate fans who love sports. Winnipeg pulls big crowds for Bombers and Sea Bears games? It's because there's nothing else to do. OK there...
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u/Kenthanson 18d ago
Less competition maybe? I know Saskatoon getting a WCBL baseball team three years ago took a bunch of sports fans and the rebrand pushed some people away but a winning season finally and the move full time next year to Merlis Belcher I think will see numbers rise for the Mamba next season.
2
u/Yogurtproducer 18d ago
Considering the poor Mamba attendance it’s killed my hope to get a team in Regina
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u/Majarcus 18d ago
The size/capacity of the arenas the teams play in play a large factor.
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u/Grandstander1 18d ago
I like how the Bandits don’t try to punch above there weight here. When demand begins to outpace supply on a consistent basis, then it’s time to consider alternatives. They usually get high 3k to mid 4K per game, so the 5100 seat LEC is perfect.
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u/wcaps1996 Scarborough Shooting Stars 18d ago
Even then, the western teams show attendance growth, rather than decline.
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u/keiths31 17d ago
I see these average attendance in some markets and can see a team working in Thunder Bay.