Tailgate parties, marching bands... and Ted Lasso? Wembley hosts US college game — SkimNews
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- Union Jack Classic brings the Kansas Jayhawks vs Arizona State Sun Devils to Wembley on Saturday at 17:00 BST, expecting 60,000 fans — the UK's second-ever college football game, dwarfing the 1988 Crystal Palace debut that drew 2,500.
- Brian Dubiski, the UJC's chief executive and former college football player, co-founded the event after years of planning, securing a multi-year Wembley deal and already working on games in the next three years.
- Brett Yormark and the Big 12 Conference committed to the event to build global appeal, while Arizona State's trip coincides with the university opening a London campus this month.
- Fox Sports will broadcast its flagship college pre-game show from outside Wembley for the first time overseas, with Robert Griffin III among the analysts and coverage starting two hours before kick-off.
- The gameday experience includes a 10:00 tailgate with Kansas barbecue, marching bands on Wembley Way, and an invitation to Jason Sudeikis — a lifelong Kansas fan who frequently weaves KU references into his work.
- Organizers partnered with the British American Football Association, BUCS, and the Jacksonville Jaguars to reach the UK's 14 million NFL fans; 15,000 fans are traveling from the US.
Why it matters: The UJC's multi-year Wembley deal signals college football's first sustained push into the UK, targeting the NFL's 14-million-strong UK fanbase. With 400 college teams versus 32 NFL franchises and eight of the world's 10 biggest stadiums holding 100,000+, organizers and analysts argue college football's tribal fan culture may translate to European audiences more naturally than the NFL.
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