Raymond James Stadium

Location: Tampa, Florida
Capacity: 65,618 (expandable to 75,000)
Record Crowd: 74,512 (2017 CFP National Championship Game)
Home Team:

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL)
• South Florida Bulls (NCAA)
• Tampa Bay Vipers (XFL)

Raymond James Stadium, also known by the nickname “Ray Jay”, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) as well as the NCAA‘s South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,618, which can be expanded to about 75,000 for special events with the addition of temporary seating. It was built at public expense as a replacement for Tampa Stadium and opened in 1998, and it is known for the replica pirate ship located behind the stands in the north end zone.

The ship measures 31m (103-foot) and is made up of 43-ton steel-and-concrete. Each time the Buccaneers score points, enter the other team’s red zone or win a home game, the replica cannons on the ship are fired off. The cannons fire once for each point scored. In addition, when the Buccaneers enter their opponent’s red zone, stadium hosts hoist team flags around the perimeter of the upper deck.

Besides serving as the home field for the Buccaneers and the Bulls, the facility has been the site of three Super Bowls: Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, and Super Bowl LV in 2021, in which the Buccaneers became the first team in NFL history to play and win a Super Bowl on their home field. In college football, Raymond James Stadium is the home of the annual Outback Bowl (since 1999) and Gasparilla Bowl (since 2018), hosted the ACC Championship Game in 2008 and 2009, and was also the site of the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017. Additionally, the stadium has hosted a wide variety of non-football events, including soccer matches, equestrian sports competitions, monster truck shows, and large concerts. It is scheduled to be the site of WrestleMania 37 in April 2021.