College football is crossing the Atlantic, and this time UK fans do not need to set an alarm for the middle of the night.
On Saturday 19 September 2026, the Arizona State Sun Devils and Kansas Jayhawks will meet at Wembley Stadium for the inaugural Union Jack Classic, bringing Big 12 football to London.
Better still, kickoff is scheduled for 5:00pm UK time.
Yes, you read that correctly. College football. Saturday afternoon. Wembley Stadium. No staying awake until 4am required.
Whether you are heading to London or watching from the sofa, here is everything you need to know.
Union Jack Classic 2026: The Key Details
Game: Arizona State Sun Devils vs Kansas Jayhawks
Date: Saturday 19 September 2026
Kickoff: 5:00pm BST
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
Conference: Big 12
UK streaming: DAZN NCAA College Sports subscription
US television: FS1
Tickets: On sale now
How Can I Watch the Union Jack Classic in the UK?
For fans who cannot get to Wembley, the Union Jack Classic is available through DAZN’s NCAA College Sports subscription. DAZN launched the dedicated paid college sports service on 25 August 2026, replacing the much broader free NCAA offering UK fans had previously been able to use.
DAZN’s UK College Sports schedule lists “Union Jack Classic: Arizona State vs. Kansas” among its upcoming college football games. The new NCAA package includes coverage from major conferences including the Big 12, alongside the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Mountain West.
For UK viewers, the NCAA College Sports package currently costs £12.99 on a rolling monthly plan, £8.99 per month with a 12-month commitment, or £99.99 for a year paid upfront.
DAZN still offers a small amount of selected content for free, but the Union Jack Classic is not currently identified as one of its free college football games. Unless DAZN changes that before 19 September, UK viewers should plan on needing the paid NCAA College Sports package to watch Arizona State vs Kansas.
For viewers in the United States, the game will be broadcast nationally on FS1.
What Time Does the Union Jack Classic Start in the UK?
This is the bit British college football fans might enjoy most.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00pm BST.
That makes the Union Jack Classic about as UK-friendly as a major college football game can get.
Most Saturday games in the United States fall into the traditional noon, 3:30pm and evening Eastern Time windows. From Britain, that usually means starting at 5pm and working your way towards games kicking off after midnight.
This one starts at five.
You could watch an entire college football game and still conceivably be in bed before Match of the Day finishes.
What a time to be alive.
Big Noon Kickoff Is Coming to London Too
The game itself is not the only slice of American college football heading across the Atlantic.
FOX has confirmed that its Big Noon Kickoff pregame show will broadcast from Wembley Stadium, the first overseas broadcast in the programme’s history.
Coverage begins at 10:00am Eastern Time, which is 3:00pm in the UK, two hours before kickoff.
Big Noon Kickoff is FOX’s answer to ESPN’s College GameDay, taking its studio show on the road to major games across the season.
Having the show at Wembley adds another ingredient that should make this feel less like a regular American football game dropped into a British stadium and more like an attempt to recreate an American college football Saturday in London.
Can You Still Buy Union Jack Classic Tickets?
Yes.
General admission tickets remain on sale for Arizona State against Kansas, with Wembley Stadium confirming that tickets are currently available.
Ticketmaster has listed reserved seats from £60, although prices and availability will depend on the section selected and may change as the game gets closer.
There are also official Wembley hospitality packages available for fans wanting something slightly more extravagant.
Current hospitality options range from the Quarterback package at £499 per person through to premium packages costing £949 per person.
For most of us, though, a normal seat, something to eat and the chance to watch live college football at Wembley will probably do nicely.
What Will the Union Jack Classic Gameday Be Like?
This is where the Union Jack Classic could be particularly interesting for British fans who know the NFL but have never experienced college football.
College football is about much more than the sixty minutes on the field.
The organisers are promising a broader American college football gameday experience featuring tailgating, marching bands, pep rallies and cheerleaders, alongside the game itself.
That matters.
The NFL has built an enormous following in Britain, but college football has a different atmosphere. The bands, student sections, traditions, rivalries and sheer tribalism surrounding universities are a huge part of what separates Saturdays from Sundays.
Replicating everything that happens on an American campus is impossible, obviously. Wembley isn’t Tempe and it isn’t Lawrence.
But bringing some of that pageantry with the teams gives British fans a much better introduction to what makes college football different.
Who Are Arizona State and Kansas?
Both teams compete in the Big 12 Conference, making this a genuine conference game rather than an exhibition.
Arizona State arrive under head coach Kenny Dillingham, while Kansas are led by Lance Leipold.
Not sure who either team is? We have UK fan guides to both the Kansas Jayhawks and the Arizona State Sun Devils.
The two programmes will also arrive in London after significant games the previous weekend. Arizona State travel to Texas A&M before flying across the Atlantic, while Kansas will have its own demanding early-season schedule. Arizona State’s travelling arrangements are expected to see the team head directly from Texas towards London following the Texas A&M game.
That makes the Union Jack Classic more than a novelty.
There are actual Big 12 consequences attached to the result.
How Do I Get to Wembley Stadium?
Planning to attend in person? Our Wembley Survival Guide covers bag rules, arrival times, food options and everything else you need for a great day out.
Why the Union Jack Classic Matters for UK College Football Fans
For those of us who have followed college football from Britain for years, there is something slightly surreal about all this.
We are used to converting Eastern Time into UK time, planning weekends around late kickoffs and explaining to people why watching university sport from thousands of miles away is completely normal behaviour.
Now one of those games is coming to us.
The Union Jack Classic will be the first FBS college football game played in the United Kingdom, and the first college football game staged at Wembley Stadium.
There has been college football in London before, most notably Richmond against Boston University at Crystal Palace in 1988, but this represents something on a very different scale.
A Big 12 conference game, two major American universities, FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff and Wembley Stadium.
That is a pretty significant Saturday for the growth of college football over here.
The Last Word from Across the Pond
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the Union Jack Classic, but the biggest might simply be the opportunity it creates.
UK NFL fans who have always wondered what college football is about can experience it without flying across the Atlantic. Existing college football fans can finally watch a meaningful game on British soil. And people who have spent years following teams from afar get the rare pleasure of having the sport come to them.
Arizona State against Kansas might not be the matchup every casual British sports fan immediately recognises.
That almost misses the point.
College football itself is the attraction.
The bands. The colours. The traditions. The noise. The slightly ridiculous passion that comes with supporting a university team from a place you may never even have visited.
And on 19 September, we get to experience a little bit of that at Wembley.
Best of all?
It kicks off at five in the afternoon.
UK college football fans really are being spoiled.
