UPDATE (21/9/2022): It’s official, Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond will be joining FIFA 23’s roster of teams.
Players will be able to choose Jason Sudeikis’ character as their manager in career mode, and AFC Richmond will be available in Kick-off, Career Mode, Online Friendlies and Online Seasons. The club’s home stadium, Nelson Road, has also been added to the game.
Players will find AFC Richmond in the Rest of The World section when selecting a team and will feature club players such as Sam Obisanya, Dani Rojas, and team captain Roy Kent.
EA has also confirmed that a host of Ted Lasso themed customisation items will be coming to ultimate team, including kits and TIFOs as well as the ability to have Ted Lasso or Coach Beard manage your ultimate team. All of the AFC Richmond items won’t be found in packs, but will instead be unlockable via objectives and challenges.
ORIGINAL STORY (20/9/2022): The beloved, fictional football manager Ted Lasso looks set to be joining FIFA 23, potentially alongside his club, AFC Richmond.
An image posted by the show’s official Twitter account shows Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis sat in front of EA’s facial capture rig, a setup that’s used for capturing player and manager likenesses. Accompanying the image was a comment that references a certain moustached plumber:
“Look out, Mario! You’re not the only pixelated man with a mustache who never knows where the tube is taking him…”
The official EA Sports FIFA account added fuel to the fire, responding to the tweet with the eyes emoji.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of a potential crossover, as a recent leak accidentally featured AFC Richmond in the list of teams on the game’s official website.
If Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond are indeed in FIFA 23, it’s likely that they’ll feature in the game’s offline modes, such as kick-off and career mode. Perhaps there is potential for Ted Lasso themed items in ultimate team?
FIFA 23 releases on September 30th, or three days early on September 27th for those who’ve preordered the game’s ultimate edition.