JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The trend in the NFL over the past 20 years has been to build stadiums with smaller and smaller seating capacities. The Jaguars have followed suit with their renovations, reducing the capacity for Jags game from 73,000 down to a little over 68,000. The Jaguars would want the capacity closer to 60,000-62,000 but with more luxury seating options if they renovated or rebuilt the stadium.
Building a new stadium - or massively renovating the existing stadium -could allow the Jaguars to create a bigger home-field advantage, even with fewer tickets to sell. That's because the current configuration doesn't keep the sound in like some other venues. The current configuration has the upper decks yaw outward, allowing for noise to dissipate more easily than domed, roofed or more steeply built stadiums.
There is a big question to ask about the impact on the Florida-Georgia game. Right now, the city adds temporary seating to bring the capacity up to around 84,000 for the game.
If new renovations - say a partial roof for shade - limit the number of tickets that can be sold, the city could risk losing the game. In the past, the Jaguars have hosted US Soccer, but right now, the stadium cannot fit a pitch required for a World Cup Match.
If the United States gets the World Cup again after it comes to North America in 2026, Jacksonville would have to have a wider playing surface available to host a match in Jacksonville. Of course, it all comes down to money.
With the Jaguars lease running through 2030, there would have to be some serious conversation about stadium improvement or renovations when the city sits down to discuss the next stage of a lease, if not before.