JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Could the Jaguars play two games in London, their home away from home, this season? There’s a very good possibility that could happen this year, team president Mark Lamping told the Florida Times-Union on Friday.
But fans shouldn’t worry like they had to years ago when the franchise planned on playing two home games there. The only condition in which the Jaguars play twice in London is playing as a visiting team, according to Lamping. Jacksonville will play one home game in London in 2023 and beyond. The addition of a game as a visitor is on the table, Lamping said.
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“The stars are aligning with the Jaguars’ home schedule and the NFL schedule of London games for the first time,” Lamping told the Times-Union. “There’s a much greater likelihood this year we could be asked to play as a visitor.
“The NFL knows who our road opponents are. We knew there was a possibility we could be asked to play [a second game in London].”
Jaguars owner Shad Khan announced in 2020 that the team would play two home games in London, but the pandemic scuttled all international games that year. Two home games overseas incensed the fanbase. To make a dual-London package work this year would require the league to schedule Jacksonville as a visiting team either the week before its home game at Wembley Stadium or the week after.
There are three NFL games scheduled for London in 2023. The Bills and Titans will host games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, making it possible the Jaguars could play as a visitor against Buffalo or Tennessee.
The Jaguars have played a home game in London’s Wembley Stadium from 2013-19. The pandemic canceled all international games in 2020. Jacksonville played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2021 before returning to Wembley Stadium last year.
Last season was the first that the Jaguars had full control of the game in London, meaning it handled every aspect of ticketing, merchandising and the gameday experience like they would in Jacksonville. The Jaguars have said that they get 11% of their local revenue from London.