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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
The annual college football game between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs will move to Atlanta in 2026 and Tampa, Florida, in 2027 while EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, is being renovated.
Each of the games between the SEC rivals since 1933 was played in Jacksonville, except for 1994 and 1995, when games were moved, respectively, to the schools’ campuses in Gainesville, Florida, and Athens, Georgia, during stadium renovations in Jacksonville.
The No. 2 Bulldogs play the Gators at EverBank Stadium on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+).
The game will be played in Jacksonville in 2025 before moving to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa the next two seasons.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to play in both Atlanta and Tampa, both great venues,” Florida coach Billy Napier said on a teleconference Wednesday. “Both will be well-run operations. I think we all understand the revenue that this game generates for both athletic departments. I think it’s going to be unique and certainly we’re excited about that opportunity.”
The schools are expected to announce that the game will return to EverBank Stadium, home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, for the 2028 season and beyond, Jacksonville mayor Donna Deegan said at a news conference Tuesday.
“It’s been talked about and debated for a long time, for a while, since we’ve known the Jacksonville renovation was going to occur,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday. “You know, I think the parties involved did a great job stepping up and making it worthwhile for both universities and [were] excited about the opportunity to play it. Two different locations, so that’ll be unique and maybe we learn from those experiences.”