ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — UCF plans to open its football stadium at 100% capacity for home football games this fall, the university announced Wednesday.

Other athletic facilities, such as The Venue at UCF for volleyball and the soccer stadium, also will allow capacity crowds in the fall.

Attendance for football last season was limited to 25% of capacity because of COVID-19 concerns. The stadium has a normal attendance capacity of 44,206,

The decision is part of UCF’s plan to reopen to a mostly pre-COVID pandemic starting June 23, the start of its academic summer B term and the date when physical distancing restrictions will be lifted and full participation in athletic and social events will be authorized. The university already has lifted requirements to wear masks on campus, but fans will be allowed to wear face coverings if desired. 

UCF is following new guidance from the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state's 12 public universities, and is in collaboration with other State University System institutions.

"The combination of vaccination success stories and the low number of COVID cases on campus played into the decision to move to this position,” UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir said in a statement.

UCF has seven home football games scheduled for this fall, including its opener, which has been scheduled for Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, against Boise State. This will be the first season with Gus Malzahn as head coach. Here is the 2021 entire home football schedule:

• Sept. 2 vs. Boise State, 7 p.m. Eastern Time
  
• Sept. 11 vs. Bethune-Cookman University
• Oct. 9 vs. East Carolina
• Oct. 22 vs. Memphis
• Nov. 8 vs. Tulane
• Nov. 20 vs. UConn
• Nov. 26 vs. South Florida

After selling its entire allotment of season football tickets for the 2019 season, UCF currently has sold 93% of available seats for the 2021 season.