EverBank Stadium

EverBank Stadium

EverBank Stadium is an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team in the National Football League (NFL). The stadium also serves as a place for professional wrestling shows by All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor.

The stadium opened in 1995 and was first called Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. It was built where an older stadium, the Gator Bowl Stadium, once stood. The land is right next to the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville. Besides NFL games, the stadium hosts college football matches, concerts, and other big events. One famous game held there every year is the Florida–Georgia football rivalry between the Florida Gators of the University of Florida and the Georgia Bulldogs of the University of Georgia. It is also where the Gator Bowl, a special college football game, takes place.

In 2005, the stadium was one of the places where the Super Bowl XXXIX was played. It has also been used for games by the United States men's national soccer team. Over the years, the stadium has had several names. It was called Alltel Stadium, then EverBank Field, and later TIAA Bank Field. In 2023, it became EverBank Stadium again. During the 2021 NFL season, the stadium temporarily hosted the New Orleans Saints when their usual home, the Caesars Superdome, could not be used because of severe weather.

Construction

EverBank Stadium is in the Stadium District of downtown Jacksonville, where football has been played since the early 1900s. The first permanent football stadium there, Fairfield Stadium, was built in 1928. In 1948, it was expanded and renamed Gator Bowl Stadium after the Gator Bowl game began two years earlier.

The current stadium was built using some parts of the old Gator Bowl Stadium. Construction began on January 3, 1994, and the stadium opened on August 18, 1995, with an exhibition game against the St. Louis Rams. It was finished in under 20 months and cost US$134 million, with the city of Jacksonville providing $60 million of that amount.

When planning began in 1993, the University of Florida and University of Georgia wanted to keep their annual Florida–Georgia game in Jacksonville. The city proposed renovations to the old Gator Bowl Stadium to make it better. After talks and a vote, the city agreed to spend more money, which helped keep the game there.

Soon after, investors wanted to bring a new National Football League team to Jacksonville. They asked for even more money to improve the stadium. After some discussions, the city agreed to spend $121 million on renovations. This helped Jacksonville get a new NFL team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, in 1993.

Current stadium

The stadium reopened on its first home game day during the 1995 NFL season. This was special because it was the first time a new NFL team played its first game in a brand-new stadium. They played against the Houston Oilers and lost by a small score.

In 2005, the stadium hosted Super Bowl XXXIX. The New England Patriots won against the Philadelphia Eagles. Famous singer Paul McCartney performed at the halftime show, playing songs from the Beatles and a special song with fireworks.

Over the years, the stadium has had many changes and improvements. In 2010, it was given a new name when EverBank bought the naming rights. Big new video screens were added in 2014, making it one of the best places to watch a game. More recent improvements include better seating areas and new spaces for fans to enjoy.

"Stadium of the Future"

The stadium will change a lot around 2025 and 2026. This might mean that the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Gator Bowl game, and the Florida–Georgia game will be played somewhere else for a short time. In June 2023, the Jaguars shared their plans for these changes. They call it the "Stadium of the Future." The plans include a walking area around the stadium, a building that uses less energy, and a big roof to give shade. The number of seats will go down to 62,000, but it can grow to 71,500 for college football games.

In October 2024, NFL owners agreed to let the changes happen. The $1.4 billion project started in February 2025 and should finish before the NFL season begins in 2028. At first, the Jaguars thought they would play away from the stadium in 2026 and 2027, but now they will only play at Camping World Stadium in Orlando in 2027. In 2026, the stadium will have only 42,507 seats.

Seating capacity

The number of seats for Jacksonville Jaguars games has changed over the years.

Notable events

Soccer

Concerts

Date	Winning Team	Result	Losing Team	Tournament	Spectators
June 17, 1997	United States	2–1	Israel	Friendly	8,436
February 6, 1999	United States	3–0	Germany	Friendly	17,259
May 26, 2012	United States	5–1	Scotland	Friendly	44,438
February 9, 2013	United States women	4–1	Scotland women	Women's friendly	18,656
June 7, 2014	United States	2–1	Nigeria	Friendly	52,033
September 6, 2016	United States	4–0	Trinidad and Tobago	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification	19,410
April 5, 2018	United States women	4–1	Mexico women	Women's friendly	14,360
November 10, 2019	United States women	6–0	Costa Rica women	Women's friendly	12,914