For the foreseeable future, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party isn’t going anywhere.
Amidst rumors that the rivalry game could return to their respective campuses, Florida and Georgia announced Friday morning that the two sides have reached an agreement with the city of Jacksonville to keep the annual matchup at TIAA Bank Field through 2023. There is also an additional option of two more years to keep the game in Jacksonville through 2025 as well.
The new agreement, which still needs the approval of the Jacksonville City Council, will give each school an increased financial guarantee beginning with the 2020 game, one year before the old deal was set to expire. Currently at $250,000 per school, that number will increase to $1 million in 2020 and 2021, then move to $1.25 million for 2022 and 2023.
“We are excited to continue one of the greatest traditions in all of college football in having the Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville,” said Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin in a statement. “The Florida-Georgia game is more than a football game, it’s a week-long celebration of two storied programs meeting on a neutral field that has created generational memories for both fan bases. We are appreciative of the partnership we have with the City of Jacksonville and Mayor Lenny Curry to extend our agreement.”
“We look forward to the continuation of one of the greatest college football traditions in the country - a border states battle between Georgia and Florida,” Stricklin’s UGA counterpart, Greg McGarity, said in his statement. “The extension ensures the historical preservation of the game in Jacksonville which has been part of the national college football landscape since 1933. The City of Jacksonville has once again demonstrated its commitment to this game through significant financial considerations to each school.”
The Florida-Georgia game has been played in Jacksonville 84 of the past 86 years. The only time in that span it wasn’t was in 1994 and 1995 when the old Gator Bowl underwent a renovation ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars entering the NFL.
This year’s WLOCP is set for next Saturday, with a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff.