An upcoming FIFA 21 tournament will feature Jason Sudeikis as manager Ted Lasso and will stream on YouTube and Twitch. The Ted Lasso series first began as a variety of promos for NBC Sports' coverage of the Premier League that Sudeikis featured in, where he played none other than Ted Lasso. From there, the show was developed and aired on Apple TV+ in August of last year. It follows the journey of a small-time college football coach from Kansas who is hired to manage a professional soccer team in England's top division, despite having zero knowledge of the sport. The sitcom television series has gone from strength to strength since its debut, with Sudeikis recently winning a Golden Globe and earning a nomination at the SAG Awards for his endearing rendition of Ted Lasso.
While soccer still has room to grow in terms of its overall popularity and reception in the United States and Canada, the FIFA franchise remains highly popular. FIFA 21 launched in October 2020 and immediately went on to dominate its contemporaries in terms of overall sales. The soccer game continues to draw a large following despite complaints from players that EA Sports does very little to change its formula or inject any fresh content into the game year after year. These kinds of reviews appear to only intensify with each annual FIFA release. EA is also behind other popular sports titles such as NHL and Madden NFL.
According to Nerdist, Jason Sudeikis will portray Ted Lasso and play in EA Sports' esports game show "FIFA Face-Off." The event is scheduled to take place on Friday, March 26th at 12:30 pm EST. Lasso's assistant Coach Beard, who is played by Brendan Hunt, is participating as well. The event will feature other prominent celebrities, including the Daily Show's Trevor Noah and musicians Becky G and Nicky Jam. The event will also include EA Sports FIFA pros. The grand prize is $25,000.
Many FIFA players argue that EA is content to let game modes, including the popular career mode, stagnate while only prioritizing features that generate the most revenue. One example is EA's continued reliance on FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT). EA has noticed that FUT brings in the most money since its debut on FIFA 09. FUT is a game mode that encourages players to try and build their dream team. Players complete challenges and win online matches in exchange for in-game currency that can be used to purchase world-class players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
It is hilarious watching Ted Lasso attempt to manage a professional soccer team without understanding the sport's basic rules, meaning it will be even more fascinating to watch the enigmatic character take on professional FIFA players in a live event. Ted Lasso has been a hit and EA Sports is wise to recognize the marketing value this type of event brings with it for FIFA 21.