American football is growing more rapidly than many have anticipated. The NFL has been frequently hosting games across the Atlantic, and in international venues for the past couple of seasons. Though, it has happened a handful of times in the past, college football has more recently started to follow suit as well, hosting one game in Ireland each of the past four seasons.
Last year, Georgia Tech took down Florida State (ranked 10 at the time) when the two collided in Dublin, Ireland to kick off the 2024 season during the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. This year, Iowa State prevailed against Kansas State in week 0 when the two played their annual "Farmageddon" game at Aviva Stadium. It was recently announced that next season, the competition will feature TCU and North Carolina in the same fashion and venue that the previous two seasons were held.
Clearly, college football is quickly growing in the capital of Ireland, and it's potentially about to expand to the United Kingdom as well. Last week, it was publicized that Kansas and Arizona State are now slated to face off at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on September 19th, 2026. This will be part of the newly advertised "Union Jack Classic," which will reportedly be a multi-year series. The contest is yet to be officially confirmed, as there are still many factors that must go into the decision, especially since it would take place during the more chaotic part of the season as opposed to the beginning. One thing is clear: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is poised to take the conference brand to another level, which is slowly but surely occurring before our eyes.
If the game ends up happening, it will likely be considered a home game for the Jayhawks in what will be the school's first game outside of the United States in program history. The exposure that KU football can gain by playing in an event like this is invaluable for the program.
Many are not fans of this idea since traveling overseas can take a huge physical toll on the team and leave a lasting negative impact. It didn't prove well for Florida State in 2024 (ended up 2-10 after starting the season ranked 10th), or Kansas State so far in 2025 (currently 1-3 after starting the season ranked 17th).
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold, looks at it with a completely different perspective. He had this to say about the idea of playing on international soil, "I think it's a great experience for student athletes... we played a bowl game in the Bahamas (in 2019 when Leipold was with Buffalo), and guys on that team talk about those experiences for the rest of their lives."
Leipold is clearly a supporter of the proposal for KU to play in London next year and is becoming a great ambassador for the sport. When it comes to expanding, he sees many opportunities for his team, the conference, and the sport of football as a whole. Here is what he said about the growing professional model of college sports: "There's a reason why the NFL keeps playing more and more games in other countries. It's expanding, it's growing, and if there's opportunities to get on the forefront of that (we will). You're gonna see other avenues open up, other opportunities to promote, whether it be college football as a whole or the Big 12 itself. If it does work out that we end up in an opportunity to do that, and to be one of the first ones, I think [that] is an exciting opportunity, but we shall see."
Other parts of the world (particularly Europe) have been increasingly growing interested in American sports as of late, and many sporting events that are typically held in the US have been brought overseas. If this game does end up getting approved, it could be a big step in the right direction for eventually expanding all levels of football to the rest of the world. If it is confirmed, the Jayhawks will still be playing a home game, only they won't be in Kansas anymore.