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Florida and Georgia are moving their annual rivalry showdown away from its historic home in Jacksonville, Florida, during the 2026 and 2027 seasons, Gators coach Billy Napier confirmed on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference. Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host the matchup in 2026, while Raymond James Stadium in Tampa will host the teams in 2027.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will be conducting a renovation of EverBank Stadium that will reduce the facility’s capacity in 2026 and close it entirely in 2027. Once the renovation is complete, the annual game is expected to return to Jacksonville, according to Stadium’s Brett McMurphy.
The border foes have met 102 times since 1915, with 92 of those meetings coming in Jacksonville. All but two of their meetings since 1932 have been played in Jacksonville; the teams played on-campus games in 1994 and 1995 as the stadium formerly known as the Gator Bowl was renovated for the NFL’s expansion into Jacksonville.
The game’s location has become a point of debate. Though the series has a rich history in Jacksonville, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart has expressed interest in playing it inside campus venues. During seasons in which the Bulldogs open with a neutral-site game — like they did against Clemson this year — they are left with just six home games, which reduces the number of opportunities the Bulldogs have to host recruits.
However, Napier has pointed in recent years to the positive financial implications for both schools that comes from playing the game in Jacksonville as opposed to in a traditional home-and-home format.
“Kirby and I probably both agree that it’d be awesome to play home-and-home,” Napier said on Wednesday’s teleconference. “But we also know that there’s a tremendous amount of revenue, there’s a significant difference in the revenue generated.”
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