The Jacksonville Jaguars will host the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 27, 2013, at London’s Wembley Stadium. The game, which will kick off at 1 p.m. EST — 5 p.m. in London — will mark the first in London for the Jaguars, who earlier this year committed to play one regular-season home game in the United Kingdom in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, all at Wembley Stadium.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan confirmed the Jaguars’ 2013 International Series opponent while speaking at a sports business conference Thursday in London.
“Everyone associated with the Jacksonville Jaguars is very much looking forward to our four home games in London through 2016, and we’re particularly thrilled and honored that our first opponent will be the San Francisco 49ers,” Khan said.
“To share this stage in our first year at Wembley with a rising power like the 49ers will bring additional attention and respect to what we’re trying to achieve as a franchise. We can’t wait to see our global vision for the Jaguars become reality next season,” Khan said.
This year’s International Series game features the St. Louis Rams hosting the New England Patriots Oct. 28 at Wembley before an expected sellout crowd in excess of 80,000.
The Jaguars said the international series of regular-season games to date has contributed to increased NFL fan interest in the U.K., with a current fan base of 11 million, including more than 2 million avid fans, a 32 percent increase in the past two years.