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Olivia Sayer
Georgia fans hold up a “Gators eat boogers” sign during the first half of a NCAA college football game between Georgia and Florida at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. Georgia leads 26-7 after the first half. (Photo/Landen Todd @whats_landophoto)
The “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” is temporarily moving locations.
The annual Georgia-Florida game will be played in Atlanta in 2026 and Tampa in 2027, Florida head coach Billy Napier confirmed during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. The move comes due to renovations making EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida unavailable during the next two seasons.
“I think we all understand the revenue that this game generates for both athletic departments,” Napier said. “I think it’s going to be unique, and certainly, we’re excited about that opportunity.”
The Georgia-Florida game has been played in Jacksonville all but two times since 1929, with the latest edition coming Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
In 1994 and 1995, the series moved to home-and-home during prior renovations. There were conversations regarding another home-and-home, but the “rising costs for athletic departments” led to neutral site games, according to The Athletic.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was asked about the potential of campus-site games but said he was too “engulfed in the game” to worry about the location of it.
Following the completed renovations, the Georgia-Florida game is expected to return to Jacksonville in 2028. Mayor Donna Deegan said on Tuesday that it is the city’s “goal to host the Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville for a long time.” She also said that the city has made “great progress” in meetings with the two schools.
“We have been working very closely with both universities to make that happen,” Deegan said. “They have been involved every step of the way during the design and planning process for the stadium of the future to ensure that it meets the needs of that wonderful annual tradition, as well as the needs of the Jaguars and the needs of the city.”