Tailgate parties, marching bands... and Ted Lasso? Wembley hosts US college game
Wembley Stadium is set to host its first American college football game, the Union Jack Classic, featuring the Kansas Jayhawks and Arizona State Sun Devils. The event aims to expand the global reach of college football and provide a cultural experience for student-athletes.
Why it matters
The expansion of American college sports into international markets reflects the growing commercialization and global branding efforts of US collegiate athletic programs.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Both Kansas and Arizona State have a 1-1 record this season
The NFL has been playing in London since 2007 but now a different kind of American football is coming to the capital of England.
American college football games were being played abroad long before the NFL headed overseas, in countries as diverse as Cuba, Japan and Tanzania.
But this Saturday the UK will host just its second college football game, and it will be a far bigger event than the first at Crystal Palace in 1988.
About 2,500 fans were there that day, whereas 60,000 will be at Wembley to watch the Kansas Jayhawks face the Arizona State Sun Devils (17:00 BST).
The inaugural Union Jack Classic (UJC) will feature marching bands, spirit squads and tailgate parties outside the stadium - and Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis might be there too.
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