College football’s much-anticipated return to London came with an amusing error from local sellers of unlicensed team apparel.
Several sharp-eyed fans heading to Wembley Stadium for the Kansas-Arizona State Big 12 game noticed that the maroon-and-gold Sun Devils merchandise being sold outside the ground was missing one crucial word.
‘Wanted to buy a matchday scarf at Wembley,’ Master Tesfatsion, a podcaster and journalist with The S Word, wrote on X. ‘They all say “Arizona” not “Arizona State.”‘
The mistake would be immediately clear to American college football fans—or anyone familiar with Arizona. Arizona State University is located in Tempe, near Phoenix, while the University of Arizona is a separate institution based in Tucson. The schools are also represented by very different colors: Arizona State wears maroon and gold, whereas Arizona’s colors are red and blue.
Still, mix-ups are perhaps inevitable when Britain’s unlicensed merchandise sellers encounter the sometimes-confusing names of American universities. Before the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic, another event designed to bring fans to Dublin, an Irish pub was spotted displaying the state flag of Kansas instead of the Kansas State flag.
As for scarf sales, ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student Joaquin Rodriguez was told by one vendor that ‘slightly more Arizona State scarves have been sold than Kansas scarves’ before kickoff.
Several eagle-eyed fans traveling toward Wembley for the Kansas-Arizona State Big 12 matchup noticed that the team merchandise outside the stadium was missing one important word
The error appeared at multiple stalls, which were selling “Arizona” apparel in Arizona State’s maroon-and-gold colors
Some Sun Devils supporters were quick to point out that the vendors “could have sold many more if they actually said Arizona State instead of just Arizona.”
The Big 12 matchup carries plenty of significance on the field, with both Kansas and Arizona State looking to avoid consecutive defeats. But the London trip also gives the players an opportunity to explore a European capital and serve as ambassadors for college football.
“I know I haven’t done anything like this before,” Arizona State defensive lineman C.J. Fite said this week. “To be able to leave a country, play football in front of new fans … and kind of figure out this new culture and be able to experience it, it’s a No. 1 thing for sure.”
Thursday became a major sightseeing day for both teams.
Game organizers arranged boat trips along the Thames and prepared tables stocked with food from Shake Shack UK for the players.
A fan poses for a photograph before the First Annual Union Jack Classic in London
A general view of the stadium before the First Annual Union Jack Classic
A young Jayhawks fan arrives at Wembley ahead of Kansas’ meeting with Arizona State
During the boat tours, players took photos of Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster. Tower Bridge was another popular destination, with players walking across the glass floor overlooking the bridge deck and the River Thames.
“This is a lifetime opportunity for our players, for our program and, again, I can’t tell you how excited we are to be here and be part of this,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said this week.
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham, meanwhile, was asked whether he had planned anything enjoyable away from the football field.
“Absolutely not,” he replied. “We’re playing a football game.”
Dillingham said there was “zero positive” from a football standpoint in playing an international game during Week 3. However, he acknowledged the broader value of giving his players a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Arizona State offensive lineman Jalen Klemm said the occasion would be exciting because the team would be “playing in front of a different country and a different culture that doesn’t experience football and college football as often as obviously we do in America. So I think it’s a great opportunity for us to just go out there and play our game and kind of show what Sun Devils football is about.”
Arizona State Sun Devils fans on Wembley Way ahead of the Union Jack Classic College
Pitchforks were out among Sun Devils fans visiting London for the first Union Jack Classic
Organizers have a three-year contract with Wembley for an annual game with an option for a fourth year.
Brian Dubiski, CEO of the Union Jack Classic and a former Texas Tech player, recently told The Associated Press that they’re in talks about airline and hospitality partnerships but might not have a title sponsor until next year.
Wembley holds more than 86,000, but Dubiski is hoping for 60,000. An estimated 15,000 fans are coming from the US. Organizers added discounts on ticket four-packs and donated some to a UK organization that provides tickets to hospital workers.
‘Would we like 80,000 people in the seats? Absolutely. But anything over 40-to-50,000 is a viable business model,’ Dubiski said.
Saturday’s matchup will be the first Football Bowl Subdivision game in the UK Back in 1988 — almost two years before Dillingham was born — the University of Richmond beat Boston University 20-17 at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in south London. The teams played in Division 1-AA, which is now called the Football Championship Subdivision.
That one was billed as the Imperial Bowl. Attendance estimates varied, but 6,000 was the highest of them. A game program available on eBay shows the adult ticket price was 6 pounds.
