Report: Atlanta, Tampa set to host Florida-Georgia game during 2026, 2027 seasons

For months speculation has abounded about the future of the Florida–Georgia game in upcoming years, as renovations to EverBank Stadium are expected to displace the game at least temporarily.

Now there’s a clearer picture of what will happen.

According to a report from Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, the game will move to Atlanta in 2026 and Tampa in 2027. The game will then return to Jacksonville in the 2028 season.

The game in Atlanta will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while the game in Tampa will be hosted at Raymond James Stadium.

As for the Florida-Georgia change itself, Georgia coach Kirby Smart seemed rather ambivalent about it when asked a couple weeks ago on an SEC teleconference call.

“Don’t really care much, I do know it’s going to happen with it,” Smart said. “But it’s not my place to talk about, so I don’t know what’s going to happen past this year and next year. But I mean it’s going to go somewhere else for sure.

“I don’t worry about things I don’t control, that’s for sure.”

According to a report from News4Jax, the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to play in a reduced capacity EverBank Stadium in 2025 (60,000) and 2026 (43,500). Those figures are well below listed capacity of 67,838, which would allow space for construction while still hosting games.

Then in 2027 the team will need a home away from the stadium as the heaviest of the renovations get underway. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, affectionately known as “The Swamp,” is one of two possible venues to host the Jaguars. The other is Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.

The Florida-Georgia game, obviously, also needed a new home.