Raymond James Stadium

Raymond James Stadium is a large stadium in Tampa, Florida, United States. It opened in 1998 and is the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League and the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls college football team. The stadium can hold up to 69,218 people for most games, but it can be made bigger for special events.

The stadium is famous for having a replica pirate ship behind the seats. It has hosted three big football games called Super Bowls, including one where the Buccaneers won right in their own stadium. Besides football, the stadium has also been used for soccer games, big concerts, and even monster truck shows. It is a very busy and exciting place for many different kinds of events.

History

Financing and construction

When Malcolm Glazer bought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995, he said the old Tampa Stadium wasn’t good enough. He wanted a new one. Tampa and Hillsborough County planned to build a new stadium using money from things like rental car taxes and ticket fees, but the Glazers didn’t like this plan. They even talked about moving the team to another city.

Later, Tampa and Hillsborough County suggested a new tax to help pay for the stadium and other improvements. People voted on this idea in September 1996, and it passed. Even though the team had promised to help pay if fans bought many season tickets, they didn’t get enough buyers, so the public paid for the whole stadium.

The stadium was named after Raymond James Financial in 1998 after they agreed to a deal for naming rights.

Opening, further developments

The stadium opened on September 20, 1998, with a game between the Buccaneers and the Bears. It also hosted soccer games with the Tampa Bay Mutiny.

In 2003, there was a discussion about who would own the stadium and pay for things like taxes and security. Finally, in 2015, the team and local leaders agreed to spend over $100 million to update the stadium. The updates started in 2016 and were ready for the football season that year.

Features

Raymond James Stadium has a special pirate ship that is very tall and big, sitting in one part of the stadium. When the home team scores or wins, the ship’s cannons fire to celebrate. The ship also plays a pirate song and sometimes throws fun items like beads and T-shirts down to fans.

The stadium has huge screens to show the games, and it was updated in 2016 with even bigger, better screens. There are also places to buy food and restrooms that are easy for everyone to use. The field where players run is considered one of the best in the league. Before games, the stadium sometimes adds extra seats to fit more fans.

Naming

Before it opened, the stadium was called Tampa Community Stadium. In June 1998, a company called Raymond James Financial from St. Petersburg paid for the right to name the stadium for $32.5 million over 13 years. Later, they extended this agreement, so the stadium will keep this name until 2028.

People often call the stadium "Ray Jay." Sometimes, it is jokingly called "the CITS," short for "Community Investment Tax Stadium," because local people helped pay for it.

Notable events

Raymond James Stadium has been the venue for many important events. It has hosted the Super Bowl three times: in 2001, 2009, and 2021. In 2021, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played and won the Super Bowl in their own stadium—the first time a team had done this in NFL history.

The stadium also hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017, where many fans attended, making it the most crowded football game ever held there. It will host the event again in 2029.

Besides football, the stadium has been used for soccer games, ice hockey matches, baseball games, professional wrestling events, and big concerts. Notable performances include shows by U2, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift.

Date	Winning Team	Result	Losing Team	Tournament	Spectators
March 25, 2007	United States	3–1	Ecuador	Friendly	31,547
February 24, 2010	United States	2–1	El Salvador	Friendly	21,737
June 11, 2011	Canada	1–0	Guadeloupe	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup	27,731
	Panama	2–1	United States
June 8, 2012	United States	3–1	Antigua and Barbuda	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification	23,971
June 2, 2014	Japan	3–1	Costa Rica	Friendly	7,106
June 6, 2014	Japan	4–3	Zambia	Friendly	7,275
July 12, 2017	Panama	2–1	Nicaragua	2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup	23,368
	United States	3–2	Martinique
October 11, 2018	Colombia	4–2	United States	Friendly	38,631
September 10, 2019	Colombia	0–0	Venezuela	Friendly	16,590
November 18, 2025	United States	5–1	Uruguay	Friendly	26,110
June 7, 2026	England	–	New Zealand	Friendly

Date	Winning Team	Result	Losing Team	Tournament	Spectators
November 8, 2008	United States	1–0	South Korea	Friendly	4,263
June 14, 2014	United States	1–0	France	Friendly	9,799
March 3, 2016	United States	1–0	England	2016 SheBelieves Cup	13,027
March 5, 2019	United States	1–0	Brazil	2019 SheBelieves Cup	14,009