Kansas, Arizona State headed to London in 2026 for first FBS game at Wembley Stadium

Kansas and Arizona State are in discussions to play the first-ever FBS college football game in London next season, sources told On3.

Once finalized, Wembley Stadium would host the Big 12 matchup between the Jayhawks and Sun Devils on Sept. 19, 2026. Originally scheduled as a Kansas home game, this will be the conference opener for both teams.

Even with Kansas moving the game, the Jayhawks will still have six home games in 2026 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Kansas officials see this game in London as an ideal fit because of the reduced capacity at Booth Memorial Stadium due to Phase 2 of the stadium construction, sources said.

It will be the second consecutive year a Big 12 game will be played overseas. Iowa State opened this season with a 24-21 victory vs. Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland.

At this summer’s Big 12 media days, commissioner Brett Yormark said he wanted the Big 12 to “be a global conference.”

“Playing in Ireland (this year) is the first step,” Yormark said. “Playing in Ireland is an impetus for future global expansion and I’m all in on it.”

This will be Arizona State’s second overseas game. In 1990, the Sun Devils lost to Houston 62-45 in the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Kansas has never played overseas.

The NFL has annually played multiple games in London every year since 2013 (except the 2020 COVID season). This season, London will host three NFL games: Vikings vs. Browns (Oct. 5) and Broncos vs. Jets (Oct. 12) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Rams vs. Jaguars (Oct. 19) at Wembley Stadium.

While London has hosted dozens of NFL games, this will be only the second college football game held there. In 1988, FCS opponents Richmond and Boston University played before 2,500 fans at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

KU and ASU will be the third overseas FBS game in 2026. On Aug. 29, 2026, TCU and North Carolina meet in Dublin, Ireland, while Michigan and Western Michigan meet in Frankfurt, Germany. In 2027, Pitt and Wisconsin are scheduled to play in Dublin.

In addition to the football games, the Big 12 is looking at various options for playing Olympic sports in Mexico.

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