London’s Wembley Stadium is no stranger to sporting imports, having hosted Olympic events, boxing matches and NFL games. Now, it’s adding a slightly different kind.
Next month, Wembley will host its debut American college football game — dubbed the Union Jack Classic — between Kansas University and Arizona State University. Professional NFL games have already made inroads into the UK market, now college football is testing its appeal.
While playing at Wembley would be a far-off concept for a British university team, US collegiate sport has long eclipsed the UK with enormous stadiums and near-celebrity student athletes. The colleges in this game are both members of the Big 12 Conference, a multi-billion dollar media and commercial enterprise which raked in more than $600 million in revenue for the fiscal year ended July 2025.
Wembley may a big stage, but Brian Dubiski, CEO of the Union Jack Classic, is ambitious, having signed a multi-year deal to host a series in London. He’s aiming for around 60,000 fans to come to the inaugural event on September 19. Adidas is among sponsors of the game, which will be broadcast on Fox in the US and streaming platform DAZN in the UK.
“Even though we understand American football is still a niche sport in Europe, the fan bases are growing and there’s a demand there for it,” said Dubiski in an interview. “Not only is it there to stay, our vision is to grow it even outside of the UK into other European territories.”
