Report: Georgia-Florida football game will be played at neutral sites during Jacksonville stadium renovation

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Alternate sites for the 2026 and 2027 annual Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs football matchup have been announced, The New York Times’ The Athletic is reporting.

Due to upcoming renovations of EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, the game will be played at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in 2026 and at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in 2027.

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Action News Jax told you on October 15 when the City of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ deal to renovate the stadium was unanimously approved by NFL owners.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan spoke to Action News Jax on Tuesday about the push to get the game back to Jacksonville in 2028 and beyond.

“It is our goal to host the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville for a long time. We have been working very closely with both universities to make that happen,” Deegan said.

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We received the following statement from the City of Jacksonville on Wednesday that echoed the same message:

“We refer you to the universities for that question. The City of Jacksonville is supportive of wherever they choose to play in 2026 and 2027.

“It is our goal to host the Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville for a long time to come, and we’ve been working closely with both universities to make that happen. They have been involved every step of the way during the design and planning process for the Stadium of the Future to ensure it meets the needs of this annual tradition. And we’ve made great progress in several months of meetings with them on a contract that keeps the game in Jacksonville in 2028 and beyond. We’re still working through the final details and are hopeful we’ll be able to announce more on that very soon.”

So far, it has not been decided where the Jags will play for the 2027 season, but it will be either Orlando or Gainesville.

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