Ted Lasso stars reveal how the show changed their relationship with soccer at the World Cup in Kansas City

Jason Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis's Ted Lasso in the upcoming fourth season | Image Via: YouTube/Apple TV

Ted Lasso will be back for its fourth season this August, and it seems that the marketing campaign for the show's return is in full swing. The cast and crew of the popular Apple TV series attended a press conference at the CPKC Stadium in downtown Kansas City this Saturday. This conference was unique; it was also a watch party for the Argentina and Switzerland match, which was held at the nearby Arrowhead Stadium.

For the uninitiated, the beloved Apple TV sports comedy-drama show revolves around a Kansas City, Missouri, soccer (or football, as the sport is called across the world) coach who trains a British team. Ted Lasso began as a typical quirky sports comedy but evolved into a sincere and heartwarming story about a man making positive changes for an underdog team.

This Saturday, the cast and crew pulled something more unique as they screened the latest FIFA match and reflected on their relationship with the game in general.


What did the Ted Lasso cast and crew say at the Kansas City press conference

This press conference was more reflective as the cast discussed things like their relationship with soccer and Kansas City while filming the Apple TV series. It should be noted that several scenes of Ted Lasso Season 4 were shot in the city, which is why the cast and crew were extremely positive about filming the fourth entry.

Simultaneously, the cast and crew also reflected upon their relationship with soccer, a highly relevant subject as FIFA is just a week away from the finale. Jason Sudeikis was the first to look back on his relationship with the sport. The actor who plays Ted Lasso in the series revealed that he liked the sport before he joined the series, but grew to appreciate it even more.

Juno Temple, who plays Keeley Jones in the Apple TV series, expressed excitement at the idea of women's football. It should be noted that the upcoming fourth season will also focus on Ted coaching the newly formed AFC Richmond women’s team. But it was actor and writer Brendan Hunt, whose words were most reflective.

Hunt, who plays Coach Beard and also writes the Apple TV show, pointed out the change in attitude of the American people towards soccer between now and 1994, when the U.S. hosted the soccer World Cup:

“I’ve certainly heard from some people that didn’t care about soccer at all until they started to watch ‘Ted Lasso’. As opposed to 1994 when we had the World Cup and people knew even less about soccer, including me, people were ready for it."

The actor and writer continued:

"Yes, the world has come with this great energy, but we were more ready to be aware of their presence, and reciprocate energy. And we’re not as far behind as far as the sport’s popularity as it’s made out to be, and this World Cup is showing it.”

What can we expect from the fourth season?

The trailer for the fourth season shows Ted returning as coach, but this time he is training the AFC Richmond women’s team, which was set up in the season 3 finale, "So Long, Farewell". However, the journey to train the women's team may be challenging, as many people disapprove of Ted's decision to leave the men's team coaching position.


Prepare for the upcoming fourth season by binge-watching the previous three on Apple TV.

Edited by Ravikumar N