This Saturday, Wembley Stadium will host about 60,000 fans for a college football game between Kansas Jayhawks and Arizona State Sun Devils, marking the second college football event in the UK after a small game at Crystal Palace in 1988. The inaugural Union Jack Classic will feature tailgate parties, marching bands, and spirit squads. Entrepreneur Brian Dubiski is behind this initiative to bring more American college football abroad, aiming to leverage the cultural significance and passionate fanbase of the sport, which often surpasses even NFL events in popularity within the US.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Brian Dubiski, chairman of Union Jack Classic, organized the first U.S. college football game in nearly 40 years at Wembley Stadium on September 19, featuring teams from Kansas and Arizona State. Despite an initial goal to fill all 86,270 seats, only about 46,523 fans attended the event. Dubiski, whose involvement is personal due to a tragic family incident—a concert he planned in 1999 was followed by a fatal shooting at Columbine High School—seeks to build college football's brand globally through such matches.
The game itself drew mixed reactions; while the pre-game atmosphere was lively with tailgating and band performances, the match proved less exciting. Marching bands from both universities significantly enhanced the event’s spirit by playing popular songs, contributing to a unique experience for attendees. Dubbed Union Jack Classic, the competition aims to introduce American college football culture to British audiences.
Organizers hope this inaugural game will inspire future events and fan enthusiasm in Europe, much like NFL games held previously at Wembley. Despite lower-than-expected attendance, the event showcased the energy and excitement of U.S. college football, with students from both teams expressing their ambitions for professional careers in the NFL.
Written for “Wembley College Football Game” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
The NFL has been playing in London since 2007 but now a different kind of American football is coming to the capital of England.
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kind → publish → England
American college football games were being played abroad long before the NFL headed overseas, in countries as diverse as Cuba, Japan and Tanzania.
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NFL → play → Cuba
But this Saturday the UK will host just its second college football game, and it will be a far bigger event than the first at Crystal Palace in 1988.
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it → host → 1988
About 2,500 fans were there that day, whereas 60,000 will be at Wembley to watch the Kansas Jayhawks face the Arizona State Sun Devils (17:00 BST).
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Jayhawks → watch → BST
The inaugural Union Jack Classic (UJC) will feature marching bands, spirit squads and tailgate parties outside the stadium - and Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis might be there too.
uncertain
Sudeikis → feature → stadium
He and a business partner both played college football, with the latter then working with the NFL in London.
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latter → play → London
And while chatting over a few beers, they asked themselves why no-one had taken college football back to England, especially since Wembley's first NFL game in 2007.
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one → chat → 2007
After mulling the idea over for a few years, they decided to do it themselves and managed to book a date at English football's national stadium.
Then they had to find the teams.
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they → mull → teams
Brett Yormark, commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, is "bullish" about building its global appeal and was keen to be involved.
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Yormark → build → appeal
So two Big 12 teams committed to the trip.
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teams → commit → trip
Founded in 1890, the University of Kansas (KU) has one of the oldest college teams and wants to expand its brand, while the game coincides with Arizona State (ASU) opening a London campus this month.
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State → found → campus
Before this trip, most of their players did not own a passport so both teams also wanted to give them a cultural experience they will never forget.
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they → own → experience
What makes college football different?
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football → make → ?
Virtually all NFL players come via the US college system, and in many parts of America, college football is more popular than the NFL.
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football → come → NFL
College games often have bigger crowds - eight of the world's 10 biggest stadiums are for college football, all holding more than 100,000.
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all → have → 100,000
The fans are also more passionate as support is often passed down from one generation to another, and multiple generations attend the same school.
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generations → pass → school
Actor Paul Rudd is also a Jayhawk, while lifelong fan Jason Sudeikis grew up in Kansas and frequently weaves KU references into his work.
"They're very spirited, and you get the tribalism, so it's the closest thing we have to European football fanbases," Dubiski told BBC Sport.
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Dubiski → grow → Sport
Both the NFL and college football have tailgate parties, where fans gather in the car park and eat and drink for hours before the game.
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fans → have → game
But college football fans chant during games, which feature marching bands and spirit squads - made up of cheerleaders, dancers and mascots.
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which → chant → cheerleaders
"We want the game to showcase what we think is one of the greatest sports in America," said Yormark.
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Yormark → want → America
It's dynamic - there's a lot of energy and passion.
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It → be → energy
"
Who has bought tickets?
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Who → buy → tickets
According to the NFL, 14 million people in the UK identify as fans of America's biggest sports league.
uncertain
people → accord → league
UJC organisers have tried to tap into that fanbase and the UK infrastructure the NFL has built, but also appeal to younger fans.
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NFL → try → fans
It formed partnerships with the British American Football Association (Bafa), British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), and the Jacksonville Jaguars, who host an annual NFL game at Wembley.
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who → form → Wembley
About 60,000 tickets have been sold and 15,000 fans are travelling from the US, with student sections to help create the typical college gameday atmosphere.
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fans → sell → atmosphere
"We're really pleased with that in year one," said Dubiski.
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Dubiski → please → year
"We never expected to sell the stadium out, and 60,000 is higher than the average Big 12 attendance.
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60,000 → expect → attendance
Dubiski agreed an exclusive multi-year deal with Wembley and is already working on games in the next three years.
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Dubiski → agree → years
He might expand to other European cities and bring basketball games too.
uncertain
He → expand → games
Why college football could rival NFL
Yormark believes a positive experience for fans and players would constitute success, plus an exciting game.
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experience → rival → success
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, now a college football analyst with Fox Sports, agrees that "we've got to bring excitement".
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we → agree → excitement
"The way to encourage fandom is to create moments, so I'm happy the two teams coming over know how to score points - and score them in bunches," he said.
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he → encourage → bunches
Griffin also believes college football could ultimately be more successful overseas than the NFL.
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football → believe → NFL
"The fandom around college football is better, it just is," he added.
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he → add → football
"It's more similar to world football so there's a better opportunity to connect, also because there's more teams.
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It → be → football
In the NFL there's 32, but in college football there's 400 you can fall in love with.
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you → be → love
"And if you want to be a real NFL fan, you have to be a college football fan because that's the feeder system into the league and you get to watch these guys develop."
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guys → want → league
What's happening on gameday?
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What → happen → gameday
Griffin will be at Wembley as part of Fox's team for their flagship pre-game show, which has gone overseas for the first time, with coverage starting two hours before kick-off.
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coverage → go → off
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
