Ted Lasso is back. No, the new season of the Apple TV+ show has not been released yet, but the soccer coach played by Jason Sudeikis made an appearance on Twitch, taking part in an EA Sports FIFA 21 tournament. Hosted by Twitch streamer Castro 1021 for EASPORTSFIFA, the tournament pairs celebrities with pro players to compete for a $25,000 prize pool for charity, according to AV Club. Sudeikis is playing alongside his Ted Lasso co-star Brendan Hunt, and the two are playing as their characters (the stream can be seen here).
The first part of the competition streamed on March 19 and continued on Friday on EA Sports Twitch channel. On Lasso’s Twitter account, he sent a message to Trevor Noah as he faced him in the tournament on Friday. “Hey [Trevor Noah], we’re facing off in just a few but wanted to wish you the best of luck,” Lasso wrote. “I believe in many things but ‘trash talking’ just ain’t one of them.”
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📢 The big news keeps on rolling in! 📢@AFCRichmond‘s @TedLasso and @TheCoachBeard will be entering the #FIFAFACEOFF on March 26 and they will be putting on a show you won’t forget! 🎬 pic.twitter.com/kcKXZCSv7Z
— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) March 19, 2021
Sudeikis talked about the tournament to Deadline last week. “Having previously no experience coaching soccer, or football if you will, I think Ted Lasso is the perfect candidate for dominating in an EA SPORTS FIFA esports competition,” he said. “That said, Ted’s passion for competing and having Coach Beard at his side in support may just be enough for him to achieve esports glory in the world’s most popular sports video game. Never underestimate Coach Ted Lasso.”
The first season of Ted Lasso was a big hit, receiving a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics loved Sudeikis’ role as Lasso, which led to him winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for a Comedy Series. The show has received so much praise, Apple TV+ renewed the show for two more seasons.
“This show I don’t think would exist without something like the British Office, and I know the British Office probably wouldn’t exist without something like Larry Sanders,” Sudeikis said to Collider back in August. “But between the influence of people who are just frustrating and maybe a little more biting and sarcastic and angry and off-putting.”
