As construction of EverBank Stadium looms, Florida And Georgia are taking their annual football game on the road.

The Gators and Bulldogs will play in Atlanta in 2026 and Tampa in 2027 while the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars is renovated, Florida coach Billy Napier and Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday morning.

The games will be the first editions of the rivalry held outside of Jacksonville since 1994 and 1995, when the two schools played a home-and-home game while the historic Gator Bowl was replaced by EverBank Stadium. Games were also held in Macon, Georgia (1904) and Savannah, Georgia (1928 and 1930).

“It’s been talked about and debated for a long time – for quite some time, ever since we knew the Jacksonville renovation was going to happen. I think the parties involved have done a great job managing it,” Smart said. said via Graham Hall of 247Sports. “I’m excited about the opportunity to play in two different places, so it will be unique. Maybe we’ll learn from both experiences.”

Atlanta has never hosted the game, while Tampa did in 1919 (the Bulldogs won 16-0).

“Kirby and I probably both agree that it would be great to play at home, but we also know that there is a huge amount of revenue created by having this game at a neutral site, right? right? So money makes the world go around, and certainly the amount of revenue, there’s a significant difference in the revenue generated, isn’t there? Jacksonville, there’s a historical context to that, but there’s also a revenue component, and I think the neutral site will present the same revenue opportunities, and that’s ultimately why the decision was made.”