Where Ted Lasso Will Be at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Since its debut on Apple TV in 2020, the comedy-drama series "Ted Lasso" has captured the hearts and minds of soccer fans, old and new. Hollywood actor Jason Sudeikis, who plays the show's main character, Ted, an endearing yet comedically under-qualified English Premier League soccer manager, will take center stage at the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S. and will be hard to miss throughout the rest of the tournament as well.
Sudeikis will be part of the star-studded celebrations ahead of the U.S. men's national team's opening match against Paraguay on Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT at SoFi Stadium, indicative of the significant role his character has played in increasing the sport's popularity in the States.
The actor and comedian, now best known for his role in the Apple TV comedy, will welcome fans to the stadium as an official World Cup ambassador, launching pre-game festivities that will also feature performances from Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla.
Country music duo Dan + Shay will later perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the U.S., while Purahéi Soul will sing the national anthem of Paraguay.
It won't be the first time Ted Lasso, or rather, Jason Sudeikis, crosses paths with U.S. Soccer either. Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Sudeikis wrote letters to the USMNT players in Lasso's voice ahead of the tournament, offering words of wisdom before the squad's eventual run to the round of 16 in Qatar. Those messages were posted on billboards across the U.S.
Ted Lasso Stars in World Cup Ads
Even though the fourth season of "Ted Lasso" doesn't come out until after the World Cup, Sudeikis will be all over the television screen, in World Cup ads this summer. For Nike, he lined up alongside celebrities Kim Kardashian, Travis Scott and Channing Tatum, as well as NBA star LeBron James and soccer stars Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo, among others.
Meanwhile, for Visa, he crossed paths with Haaland again, as well as Spain's Lamine Yamal.
When Does the New Season of ‘Ted Lasso' Come Out?
Apple TV+ is slated to release the new season of "Ted Lasso" on Aug. 5, just over two weeks after the latest World Cup champion is crowned at MetLife Stadium on July 19.
After leading fictional Premier League side AFC Richmond through the first three seasons of the show, the fourth season features Lasso taking on a new challenge, coaching a second-division women's team, with few other details released about the plot.
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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 4:30 PM.