The Jacksonville Jaguars have been trendsetters, and the NFL's appetite for international football continues to grow like a bunch of hungry offensive linemen.
The Jaguars played in London for the first time in 2013, kicking off an annual trip overseas that continues this weekend when the Jaguars play their 14th game in England against the Los Angeles Rams.
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“Shad (Khan) has made the decision to come here to support the league's international growth program,” Jaguars president Mark Lamping told Action Sports Jax on Saturday in London. “There's no question that the Jags have been at the forefront of this, and you can see how it's become more important to the league as this program has evolved.”
All 32 teams have already played the game in London. The international series will expand to seven games in 2025 and will include England, Germany, Brazil, Ireland and Spain.
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The Jaguars' contract expires after this year's game in London, but it is an expected formality that the Jaguars' relationship will continue for years to come. The Jaguars' Jacksonville Stadium is currently undergoing renovations, and an agreement with the City of Jacksonville allows up to five home games to be played in London over the next two years.
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“We have ideas, but it's not something we do alone,” Shad Khan said Saturday morning in London. “We need league approval and we're in the thick of it. I hate to sit here and speculate. Once we know, the city of Jacksonville will know.”
The Jaguars played several games in London in 2023 and 2024 and became the first team to ever do so. EverBank Stadium will have limited capacity for the 2026 season during construction, and the Jaguars will not play any games in Jacksonville in 2027.
“I'm confident we'll be hosting international games in the next two years, but how long remains to be determined,” Lamping said. “Only with the agreement of the league are these games scheduled. Once we make a decision on where we will play, we must consider any scheduling conflicts that may arise that could also push us in one direction or another.”
Of course, playing in London has been and continues to be a financial benefit for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the organization remains firmly committed to the value of the trip to the Jaguars brand and the city of Jacksonville.
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“We have both benefited from our presence here, and this week alone we have not only the mayor and city council president here, but also the largest contingent of Jacksonville Chamber members ever to attend the London Games,” Lamping said. “They're not here for the Jaguars' financial gain; they’re here to try to create jobs and bring them back to Jacksonville.”
Action Sports Jax spoke with Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan on Saturday morning in London about traveling abroad.
“This economic engine between London and Jacksonville has intensified,” said Mayor Deegan. “We have 75 to 100 people this year that we met with this week who are interested in moving to Jacksonville, and we signed some historic partnerships on this trip.”
Mayor Deegan says the following partnerships have been formed:
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Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Chartered Institute, which will collaborate with the UNF College of Business.
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The new JAX Hub, which partners with a London business to connect startups and connect them with PaySafe (a London business now headquartered in Jacksonville).
“This is a tremendous opportunity for us,” said Mayor Deegan. “There are a lot more players that I can't talk about yet, but I think they're going to be in Jacksonville. I think it's been a huge success because the Jaguars decided to move to London 12 years ago.”
For Shad Khan, the London partnership has many synergies with his soccer team, the city of Jacksonville, his relationship with Wembley Stadium and his English Premier League soccer team Fulham FC.
Simply put, the Jacksonville-London relationship is here to stay, but is there a chance the Jaguars will host another international stadium in the future?
“There is no doubt that London is a priority market for us and I don’t see that changing in any significant way in the future,” Lamping said. “That doesn't mean we won't play other countries. I bet we probably will at some point, but the focus is on London.”
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