Jacksonville Jaguars to be back at Wembley

Article posted by Coliseum, April 7^th, 2022

Image: MJR Group Ltd./Coliseum

The National Football League (NFL) (US) team Jacksonville Jaguars have committed to playing a home game at the Wembley Stadium (UK) for the next three years.

The ‘Sky Sports’ stated that Jacksonville played a game at the Wembley Stadium for seven-straight seasons from 2013 to 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 International Series. They faced their peer team Miami Dolphins at the 62,850-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England (UK) last year – a game which marked the 30^th in the capital since 2007.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida (US). The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference South division. The team plays its home games at the TIAA Bank Field.

Apply for membership

The 67,164-capacity TIAA Bank Field is an American football stadium located in Jacksonville, Florida, that primarily serves as the home facility of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League.

The 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium is a football stadium in Wembley, London (UK). It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the England national football team, and the FA Cup Final.

The ‘Sky Sports’ further stated that the Jaguars will now return to Wembley in each season through to 2024 after a vote was passed at the NFL’s Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida (US).

The franchise will be under new leadership following Doug Pederson’s appointment as the head coach, while UK fans will be treated to another glimpse of 2021 No. 1 overall pick quarterback William Trevor Lawrence.

Shahid Khan, who owns the Jaguars and Championship leaders Fulham F.C. (UK), said of the announcement, “It’s a great pleasure to be able to announce that the Jacksonville Jaguars will be playing one home game per season at Wembley for three further seasons. It’s hard to believe it will have been three years since our last game at Wembley. But that changes this Autumn, and we look forward to coming back to our London home. We have built a great fan base already in the United Kingdom and I look forward to that increasing as we reaffirm our commitment to playing one home game per season in the UK for the long term, as was always the ambition when we first played in 2013.”

The NFL announced in February that the Green Bay Packers will play an International Series game for the first time in 2022, becoming the 32^nd franchise to play in London.

The NFL confirmed on March 28^th that five of the teams that will feature as the designated “home” team for the International Series games in 2022, with the Packers and New Orleans Saints hosting games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Jaguars returning to Wembley in London.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers feature in the first-ever NFL regular-season game to be held in Germany, at the 75,024-capacity Allianz Arena in Munich (Germany) and the Arizona Cardinals headline the league’s return to Mexico for the first time in three years.

The NFL is committed to hosting at least four international games per season from 2022 onwards, with Munich and Frankfurt hosting two regular season games each over the next four years on rotation.

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 250 member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue