The Union Jack Classic drew a boisterous crowd to Wembley Stadium as American college football staged its first top-tier game in Britain, transforming Wembley Way into a sea of chanting supporters and team colors.
Pundits from a national pregame show broadcast live outside the venue while fans waved placards and sang college fight songs, creating a tailgate-style scene more familiar to U.S. campuses than central London. The spectacle served as a high-energy prelude to kickoff.
Union Jack Classic brings college football to Wembley
Marketed as the Union Jack Classic, the matchup set Kansas against Arizona State before 46,000 fans. Many of the athletes hope to reach the NFL, and the stakes were underscored on the eve of the game by Kansas linebacker Trey Latham, 22, who said there is more grit and hunger at the college level, with players pushing to impress scouts.
The UK last hosted a college game in 1988, when Richmond defeated Boston University at Crystal Palace. London has welcomed 42 NFL games over the past 19 years, but college football had not returned until now.
Thomas Hensey, a co-founder of the Union Jack Classic, said the concept crystallized during a conversation at a well-known London pub. He and partner Rob Yowell concluded the UK’s American football audience, estimated in the millions, justified the gamble to bring a showcase event back to the capital. Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham’s enthusiasm, Hensey added, helped make it possible.
Broadcast spectacle and fan experience
Organizers aimed to blend classic game day traditions with concert flair. Hensey described the blueprint as marching bands and cheerleaders enhanced with rock, country and hip hop, building a show around the football itself.
The pageantry opened with fireworks as players entered the field, followed by guitarist Paige Blake performing the U.S. national anthem. During breaks, spirit squads executed synchronized routines while bands and musicians kept the energy high, a production that will test the grounds crew ahead of England’s upcoming match with Spain.
Arizona State edges Kansas in Union Jack Classic
The game, which ran more than three and a half hours, proved more subdued than the staging. Arizona State controlled long stretches and prevailed 24-17, with Jaren Hamilton’s 100-yard kickoff return providing the decisive momentum swing around midfield in the contest.
Big venues are not unusual for Big 12 programs. Every team in the conference averages more than 30,000 for home dates, and some, such as Brigham Young University, regularly surpass 60,000. Even so, taking the field at Wembley was a distinct highlight for many players, several of whom needed passports for the first time.
“This was my first time going out of the United States,” Kansas cornerback Jalen Todd said. “Being from Detroit, I never expected to be playing football in the UK. Wembley is iconic.”
London trip offers lasting memories
In the days leading up to the Union Jack Classic, both teams toured London by boat on the Thames and climbed Tower Bridge, the landmark featured on the event’s winner’s trophy.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said the event exceeded his expectations even if attendance fell short of an anticipated 60,000. Hensey said organizers plan to return next year with two new teams and a goal of filling the stadium, adding that college football is poised for international growth.
For Dillingham, the trip’s impact on his roster mattered most. He said several players expressed a desire to return to London, calling the visit a lasting memory.
Many of the athletes hope to reach the NFL, and their performances in games like this could influence futures that include pro matchups such as Seahawks vs. Cardinals on Sundays.