LONDON, England — The Jacksonville Jaguars were the trendsetters, and the NFL’s appetite for international football games continues to grow like a bunch of hungry offensive linemen.
In 2013, the Jaguars played in London for the first time, and it started an annual trip overseas that continues this weekend when the Jaguars play their 14th game in England against the Los Angeles Rams.
“Shad (Khan) made the decision to come here to support the league’s international growth agenda,” Jaguars President Mark Lamping told Action Sports Jax in London on Saturday. “There’s no doubt the Jags have been on the forefront of that, and you can see how that’s taken on greater importance for the league as this program has developed.”
All 32 teams have now played a game in London. The International Series has expanded to seven games in 2025 with sites including England, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, and Spain.
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The Jaguars’ contract expires after this year’s game in London, but it’s an expected formality that the Jaguars’ relationship will continue for years to come. The Jaguars’ stadium in Jacksonville is currently under renovation, and the agreement with the City of Jacksonville allows for as many as five home games over the next two years to be played in London.
“We have ideas, but this is not something we do alone,” said Shad Khan on Saturday morning in London. “We need approval from the league and we’re in the thick of it. I hate to sit here and speculate. As soon as we know, the city of Jacksonville is going to know.”
The Jaguars played multiple games in London in 2023 and 2024 and were the first team to ever do that. EverBank Stadium will have limited capacity in the 2026 season during construction, and in 2027, the Jaguars won’t play any games in Jacksonville.
“I’m sure we will be playing international games the next two years, but how many remains to be determined again,” said Lamping. “It’s only through the consent of the league how those games are scheduled. “Once we have a decision on where we are going to play, we have to look at any schedule conflicts that may present themselves and that may push us one way or another as well.”
There certainly have been and continue to be financial benefits to playing games in London for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the organization has been steadfast about the brand value of this trip for the Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville.
“Both of us have benefited from our presence here, and this week alone, not only is the mayor here and the president of the city council, but you have the largest contingent from the Jacksonville Chamber that’s ever come to a London game,” said Lamping. “They are not here for the financial benefits of the Jaguars; they are here to try and create jobs and bring those jobs back to Jacksonville.”
Action Sports Jax talked to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan on Saturday morning in London about the trip overseas.
“This economic engine between London and Jacksonville has been revved up,” said Mayor Deegan. “This year we have between 75 and 100 people we met with this week that are interested in locating to Jacksonville, and we’ve signed some historic partnerships this trip.”
Mayor Deegan says the following partnerships were formed:
- An MOU (memorandum of understanding) with The Chartered Institute, which will partner with the UNF College of Business
- The new JAX Hub, which partners with a London business to take startup companies and connect them with PaySafe (A London business whose headquarters is now in Jacksonville).
“It’s an amazing opportunity for us,” said Mayor Deegan. “There are many more I can’t talk about yet that I feel will take up residency in Jacksonville. I think it’s been wildly successful, all because the Jaguars decided 12 years ago to come to London.”
For Shad Khan, the London partnership has multiple synergies with his football team, the city of Jacksonville, his relationship with Wembley Stadium, and his English Premier League soccer team, Fulham.
The easy translation is that the Jacksonville and London relationship isn’t going anywhere, but could there be a chance that another international site hosts the Jaguars in the future?
“There’s no question London is the priority market for us, and I don’t see that changing in any major way going forward,” said Lamping. “It doesn’t suggest we wouldn’t play in other countries. I bet we probably will at some point in time, but London is the focus.”
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