Georgia, Florida have played in Jacksonville nearly 100 years. Why is 2026 game in Atlanta? - USA Today
Since 1933, what used to be known as the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" between Georgia and Florida football has been played, nearly uninterrupted, in Jacksonville, Florida.
Jacksonville's location, roughly 25 miles south of the Georgia state line and 71 miles northeast of Florida's Gainesville campus, provides one of the true neutral-site rivalry venues in college football, helping it grow into one of the sport's most iconic locations as a result.
But when the longtime SEC rivals face off on Saturday, Oct. 31, they'll be meeting on an entirely new battleground to settle their differences: The third-ranked Bulldogs and the 20th-ranked Gators will play their 105th all-time meeting (or 104th, depending on which record book) inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia came from behind in last year's meeting in come-from-behind fashion, Chauncey Bowen's 36-yard rushing touchdown gave the Bulldogs their fifth consecutive victory in the series and their eighth in the last nine meetings.
EverBank Stadium, home of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and longtime host of the Georgia-Florida rivalry, is currently undergoing a $1.4 billion renovation that will be completed in August 2028.
Saturday's meeting between both programs is just the third game that won't be held in Jacksonville since 1993, according to the Athens Banner-Herald, part of the USA TODAY Network. The two teams held a home-and-home in 1994-95 in Gainesville, Florida, and Athens, Georgia, respectively.
Florida and Georgia have agreed to play neutral-site games in Atlanta and Tampa during the 2026 and 2027 seasons, respectively, while EverBank Stadium goes under renovations. Following this year's matchup in Atlanta, the SEC rivalry will be played at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium in 2027.
The schools chose to play at neutral sites in both states rather than go home-and-home because they take away much more financially.
The Bulldogs and Gators will return to Jacksonville in 2028. It was announced a day before the 2024 edition of the rivalry that the city of Jacksonville extended the deal from its then-current contract, and that the game would remain in Jacksonville through 2031. The payout is at least $10 million in 2028.
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