Kansas and Arizona State are in serious negotiations about hosting the first FBS college football game in London next season. The Big 12 showdown is expected at Wembley on 19 September 2026. It will be the opening of the conference for both teams.
The Jayhawks will retain six home games in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium that season, despite shifting this match to an overseas host, despite the game initially being billed as a Kansas home game.
Why London?
The officials in Kansas believe that London is the best option, especially since Booth Memorial Stadium is currently undergoing Stage 2 renovations, and its seating capacity will be temporarily reduced. The Wembley host will be a special occasion, as it provides the program with an opportunity to expand its scope internationally without disadvantaging fans who will still have a complete program of home games.
This action is a sign that the Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark wanted the league to become a global conference. It was just the beginning of playing in Ireland this year. It set the foundation for the Big 12’s push into the global market, with Yormark making it clear that he fully supports the plan. The London game will follow up on Iowa State’s 24-21 win over Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland, earlier this season.
For Arizona State, this will be the program’s second overseas game. The Sun Devils previously visited foreign soil in 1990 when they took on Houston in an offensive engagement in the Tokyo Dome, Japan.
This will be a new frontier with Kansas, though, which has never competed outside the US. It is not a new thing in London to see American football. The NFL has played several regular-season games in the city annually since 2013 (except in 2020 because of COVID).
Although, the NFL has flourished in London, there has been a low turnout of college football. The city has only ever hosted one other college game, a butt-match between Boston University and Richmond that attracted 2,500 spectators in 1988. One of three FBS games will be played overseas in 2026, the Kansas-Arizona State game:
1) TCU vs. North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 29, 2026
2) Michigan vs. Western Michigan in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 29, 2026
3) Kansas vs. Arizona State in London, England, on Sept. 19, 2026
In the future, the trend is only going up, with Pitt vs. Wisconsin already booked in Dublin in 2027. The Big 12’s global ambitions extend beyond football. It is also the conference that is investigating the possibilities of hosting Olympic sports events in Mexico. This further strengthens its reputation as the first major U.S. conference to expand its presence on the global stage.