REPORT: Florida-Georgia to Move to Atlanta in 2026, Tampa in 2027

With Jacksonville's EverBank Stadium set to go under renovation, the Florida Gators annual matchup against Georgia will be moved Atlanta and Tampa for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

The Florida and Georgia marching bands share the field during Saturday's pregame show. The Florida Gators went into the half trailing the Georgia Bulldogs 24 to 0. The Florida Gators were the home team for this years annual Florida vs Georgia college football rivalry game at TIAA Bank field in Jacksonville, Florida Saturday, October 30, 2021. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.- The Florida Gators' annual matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs will move from EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida to Atlanta and Tampa for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, according to a report from Action Network's Brett McMurphy.

The report comes in the midst of a debate regarding the future of the series' location, which was a result of an impending $1.4 billion renovation to EverBank Stadium, home of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Tampa's Raymond James Stadium will be the locations before the series moves back to Jacksonville in 2028, McMurphy reported.

"We're excited to go play in both Atlanta and Tampa," said UF head coach Billy Napier during his portion of Wednesday's SEC coaches' teleconference. "Both great venues. Both will be well-ran operations. We all understand the revenue that this game generates for both athletic departments. So, I think it's going to be unique, and certainly we're excited about that opportunity."

Prior to Napier's session, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart gave a similar optimistic response regarding the future of the rivalry.

"I think the parties involved did a great job of managing it," he said. "I think Jacksonville did a great job stepping up and making it worthwhile for both universities, and excited about the opportunity to play it. Two different locations, so that'll be unique, and maybe we learn from those two experiences."

A big debate regarding the future of the series has been whether or not to change the location from Jacksonville to a home-and-home series. The teams last played a home-and-home series during the 1994 and 1995 games, also due to a stadium renovation, before returning to neutral-site Jacksonville.

Napier explained the decision to keep the game as a neutral site likely came down to the revenue generated.

"Kirby and I probably both agree that it'd be awesome to play a home-and-home, but we also know that there's a tremendous amount of revenue created by having this game in a neutral site," Napier said. "Money makes the world go round, and certainly the amount of revenue that's generated."

The 2024 edition of Florida-Georgia will kick off from Jacksonville at 3:30 p.m. with television coverage on ABC.