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Renovations to Everbank Stadium — transitioning it into the “Stadium of the Future” — will see the annual World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs moved for two years with the 2026 game played in Atlanta and the 2027 meeting hosted in Tampa. A further consequence of that extensive construction will be the Jacksonville Jaguars looking for a temporary home in 2027.
The displaced NFL franchise may wind up playing in Gainesville, Florida.
Jaguars president James Lamping said this week at the NFL Scouting Combine that his franchise is 30-45 days away from submitting a report to NFL that will include alternate home sites and a preference from the team.
The two options (as previously stated by Lamping): Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville and Camping World Stadium in Orlando. He did not state which cite the Jags will list as their preferred host.
Gainesville is located 75 minutes from Jacksonville with a stadium capacity of 88,548. While The Swamp is an iconic venue, there is no parking infrastructure and sharing a field with the Gators could create nightmares both logistically and for the turf crew. Florida Field has never hosted a professional football franchise.
Orlando is located more than 2 hours away with a stadium capacity of 88,548. While Camping World Stadium is not a notable venue, it has better parking infrastructure and no full-time tenant. It has also recently hosted professional football as the home of the Orlando Guardians (XFL), Florida Tuskers (UFL).
The Florida-Georgia game will return to Jacksonville in 2028-31 once construction of the new stadium is completed.