Ted Lasso and his AFC Richmond are officially coming to FIFA 23. Following a tweet from series star Jason Sudeikis, EA Sports has now confirmed the crossover with a trailer.
Update, September 21, 2022, 5:00 PM: After the rumors and leaks, it is now officially clear that Ted Lasso will indeed appear in FIFA 23. In the new trailer, you can see how the crossover will take shape:
EA further explained how Ted Lasso and his team will appear:
- Ted Lasso, Coach Beard, and the biggest stars of AFC Richmond such as Jamie Tartt, Dani Rojas, Sam Obisanya, Roy Kent, and Isaac McAdoo are included.
- The Nelson Road will be available as a venue.
- You can take on the role of Ted Lasso in Career Mode. For the first time this year, you can take on real managers – including the character Ted Lasso.
- You can also play with AFC Richmond in Career Mode by adding them to a league of your choice.
- Additionally, you can play with AFC Richmond in Kick-Off mode, online friendlies, and online seasons.
- In Ultimate Team, you can choose Ted Lasso and Coach Beard as your managers. Kits and choreographies will be included, but probably not the players.
Here continues the original article, which dealt with the rumors and leaks beforehand.
What series is it about? “Ted Lasso” airs on Apple TV+ and focuses on the titular American football coach Ted Lasso – played by Jason Sudeikis. He ends up at the fictional Premier League club AFC Richmond in England, tasked with training the soccer team without having much experience in this area.
The comedy series has produced two seasons so far and is very popular not only among soccer fans: it has won numerous awards, including for its actors. Jason Sudeikis, for example, won the Golden Globe for his role, and Ted Lasso was also awarded at the Emmys.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Ted Lasso has a strong score of 95% from critics and 80% from viewers (via rottentomatoes.com).
What does this have to do with FIFA 23? It could be that Ted Lasso and his AFC Richmond actually appear in the game. The official Twitter account of the series shared an image where Jason Sudeikis appears to be scanned for a video game. EA Sports, in turn, commented with a big googly-eyed emoji:
Leaks are also being shared in the FIFA subreddit (via reddit) or on Twitter (such as by FUTZone – via Twitter) that point to AFC Richmond and Ted Lasso as a manager. So it is quite possible that “Ted Lasso” will actually appear in the game after the release of FIFA 23.
This is how fans are reacting to the crossover in FIFA 23
What fans are saying: On reddit, there is already discussion in the Games and FIFA subreddits about Ted Lasso in FIFA; on Twitter, some fans are also sharing their opinions. Some Ted Lasso fans say that this would actually be a reason for them to check out FIFA and take over AFC Richmond. The FIFA community is also excited. Many refer to it as a cool crossover that could be fun:
- “That’s perfect! I’ve finally gotten around to watching the series (just 10/10 if you haven’t seen it), and I was planning to create my club AFC Richmond with similar kits and stadium. Now, even better,” comments a user (via reddit).
- “Additionally, some players remember other “fantasy” characters in FUT: “It’s similar to when you could bring a player from Career Mode into the game,” compares user Ziptop (via reddit) – previously, you could use the story player “Alex Hunter” in Ultimate Team.
- “Well, since this game is no longer about reflecting real soccer, I’m all for it,” writes user DracarysUT (via reddit).
In fact, it would not be the first time characters from outside the soccer world ended up in FIFA. For instance, you could play Dua Lipa, Anthony Joshua, or other stars in Volta.
At the same time, some players are also viewing the potential crossover critically:
- “Oh God, no, this is really dumb. Next, they will add Captain America and Tim Cook into the game. By the end of the game, people will have “meta” squads with Jeff Bezos in goal and Jon Snow as left back,” predicts one user (via reddit).
- “A step closer for FIFA towards Fortnite,” writes a user (via reddit). Fortnite is known for excessive crossovers, and while this excites some players, there are also some who have had enough of crossovers there.
In FIFA, realism has always been an important point. There are many fans who especially want a realistic representation of the soccer world in FIFA. However, FIFA is currently moving further away from “realism” in terms of Ultimate Team – it starts with completely crazy special cards for players and ends with colorful, customizable stadiums with crazy choreographies.
What do you think about the potential crossover? Would it fit for you in FIFA, or is that not really your thing? Let us know in the comments!
Meanwhile, many players are waiting for the FIFA 23 Web App. You can find all the information about the launch of the FIFA 23 Web App here.
