College football has seen remarkable international growth throughout the years, with the Aer Lingus Classic in Dublin being a major highlight. In August of this year, it was announced that college football’s global push was being handed a major boost as Michigan and Western Michigan were in talks to play their 2026 game in Frankfurt. Now it’s being taken one step further with the announcement that Arizona State and Kansas were in talks to face-off in London.
According to On3, the potential matchup would mark the second time in as many years that a Big 12 Conference game is played overseas, following Kansas State’s clash with Iowa State in the 2025 Aer Lingus Classic. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark has been vocal about his ambitions to make the league a “global conference,” noting at Media Days that “playing in Ireland [in 2025] is the first step.”
If talks are finalised, the game would be scheduled for September 19, during Week 3 of the 2026 season, and serve as the launch of an annual London-based fixture dubbed the Union Jack Classic. While college football has never before staged a game in England, the NFL has made London a regular host city since 2007.
If confirmed, the London matchup would not only strengthen the Big 12’s international profile but also underline college football’s ambition to establish a lasting presence on the global stage. For fans in the UK, it promises a rare chance to experience the pageantry and intensity of the college game firsthand — an atmosphere unlike anything else in sports. From Dublin to Frankfurt and now potentially London, the sport’s expanding footprint suggests that international matchups may soon become a regular feature of the college football calendar.
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