$1.4bn NFL ‘Stadium of Future’ progresses but disruptions will see key advantage lost amid 150-mile relocation

Huge progress is being made on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ ‘Stadium of the Future’.

The Jaguars unveiled back in June 2023 that they would be splashing the cash – $1.4 billion to be exact – to renovate EverBank Stadium, just 30 years on from its opening.

Jaguars

With the ambition of making the NFL venue fit to one day host a Super Bowl, the Jags, who are worth an estimated $5.6 billion, broke ground on those renovations in February 2025.

Impact of stadium plans felt with just six home games in 2026

In 2026, the Jaguars will continue to play at EverBank, albeit at a limited capacity of 43,500, and with just six home games at their Florida home, instead of the usual eight or nine.

Two ‘home’ games will take place in London, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium in Weeks 5 and 6. That will give the Jags a five-week gap between games at EverBank to make a start on some of the renovations.

Then, they will move 150 miles south to the West Lakes neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, Florida in 2027 where they will play at the 60,000-seater Camping World Stadium.

A multi-purpose venue which regularly hosts the college football game called the Florida Classic between Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman.

The Jags’ stadium overhaul is expected to be completed by August 2028, with it being cited that it is currently ahead of schedule.

As of July 2026, steel framework is rising around the stadium, with a concerted effort to use American steel and local workforce.

“There was a desire on the part of both the Jaguars and the city to stress American-made materials in the building,” Sid K. Perkins, senior vice president of field operations for a AECOM Hunt, said.

“The steel that you see up, structural steel, that’s all American-made. We’ll be looking hard at the finishes to try and utilize all American-made tiles and items inside to create our finish.

“The Jaguars and the city have provided us with the opportunity to put a whole lot of local tradesmen in there. You look across our job site, I would wage that 70 percent of the workers are better on this job site are from the surrounding three or four counties.

Jaguars

Jaguars

“I’m fortunate I ran [the] remodel on this stadium 12 years ago, and many of the workers I have here are return workers who worked for me 12 years ago on the remodel.”

Jaguars Executive Vice President, Megha Parekh, revealed that benchmarks set for the sourcing of these American-made construction materials has already been surpassed.

“The goal that we had set in our stadium development agreement was for 51% of the materials to be made in America, and we’ve actually already outkicked that,” Parekh said.

“So we’re at about 75% between the steel that everyone can see going up, the canopy material that’ll later be installed, and mechanical products.”

According to Jaguars Chief Community Impact Officer Whitney Meyer, ensuring that the use of American-made materials and local laborers has been an integral focus of the redevelopment.

This is to ensure that the Jags’ committment to creating jobs and opportunities for those in Northeast Florida is adhered to.

Jaguars

“Right now we have 700 people on this job site,” Meyer said. “So far, we have put in 1.1 million hours of people labor working on this project.”

“They’re going to come on a game day and be able to point to their family and say, ‘I built this, I dug this, I rewired this.'”

The Jags estimate that 1,400 local workers have been involved in the stadium project thus far, which also includes surrounding the construction work around the marina and that of the Four Seasons hotel development, which is set to open in 2027.

Furthermore, the NFL organization partnered with Goodwill Industries in an initiative to prepare local residents for careers in construction and related-skilled trades.

“[Members of the workforce] go through a three-month training process where they get all their basic certifications,” Meyer continued.

“When they complete that, we actually bring them to our work site and they get a tour and firsthand experience of what it is like working in the trades.”

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As part of the stadium renovation plans, the Jaguars are set to the addition of a translucent canopy that will provide sun, wind and rain protection, as well as reducing heat retention by over 70 percent.

Another key part of the renovation is an expanded concourse and the addition of new communal spaces for Jags fans to enjoy.

This also includes lookout decks that offer skyline and river views – something that Perkins is excited for the fans to see in particular.

“I think the fans will be very pleasantly surprised when they show up and see their circulation area. Our main concourses are much larger than what they’ve been over the past 30 years,” Perkins said.

Jaguars

“Many of those have prominent views that look out over the surrounding St. John’s River and downtown development areas and other city facilities.

“I think it will be an amazing view. You also have a view of [the] two bridges off of the east side on the concourse open deck area – it should be very prominent.”

As construction continues, the Jaguars are scheduled to play six home games in Jacksonville in the 2026 season, with a further two games being played in London before they make the temporary move downtown for 2027.

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