We need Ted Lasso season 3, even though all of the leaked delays mean we might be waiting until spring 2023. The good news, though, at least for gamers, is that Coach Lasso and the lot of AFC Richmond are coming to FIFA 23.
Yes, FIFA 23, which comes to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia, PS4 and Xbox One on September 30, will feature Jason Sudeikis' Ted Lasso as a selectable manager in Career Mode, so he can manage AFC Richmond, or any other team. Fans will also be able to bring another coach to Richmond — either one of their making or one from actual football — to possibly preview a potential spinoff series where someone else takes the wheel, since Ted Lasso season 3 is supposed to be the end of Ted's arc.
Check out the trailer:
As for the rest of the team, AFC Richmond will be a playable squad in the Rest of The World league in Kick Off, Online Friendlies and Online Seasons. Featured members listed in the press release include Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh) and Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández), while Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) and Isaac McAdoo (Kola Bokinni) were spotted in the above trailer.
No word on if Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) or Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) will be seen at Nelson Road, Richmond's venue — which is also in the game.
The cast are notably excited to be in it, as the press release quotes Sudeikis as saying "As long-time fans of [FIFA], having Ted Lasso and the whole AFC Richmond squad incorporated into the newest version of the game is truly a dream come true for myself and the rest of the fellas. Our cast and crew work tremendously hard on this show, and we are flattered that it resonates with so many folks. We look forward to our fans having the opportunity to play with, play as, and even play against their favorite AFC Richmond characters."
Of course, the better quote came from Brett Goldstein, who chose the moment to let his Roy Kent fly, stating "It is so f***ing cool to be in FIFA. I’m not sure this is going to help dispel the CGI rumours but f*** it, totally worth it." He went on to say "I look forward to beating my nephew in a game with me as Roy Kent and him as Jamie Tartt. He’s gonna be furious.” If you never heard about the CGI talk, there was a conspiracy theory that Goldstein/Kent isn't real — but in fact an animation of sorts.
While we don't know if Nathan "Nate the great" Shelley (Nick Mohammed) will be in FIFA 23, we think he would be an excellent unlockable character — especially to set as a rival on the field.
Analysis: A cunning play from EA
Multiple TG staffers, myself included, are more into Ted Lasso than FIFA — and admitted in our Slack that we're impressed that anything was able to make us care about FIFA.
Could this be the trick to expanding the game's audience? Time will tell, but we believe this is a decent strategy.
