There’s almost no real-world professional football team that isn’t included in EA Sports’ Fifa games, from the Women’s Super League to Romania’s SuperLiga. They have now been joined by a fictional one: AFC Richmond, from the wildly successful feel-good TV series Ted Lasso.
The lineup includes Lasso himself (modelled on actor Jason Sudeikis), grumpy veteran Roy Kent, wonderkid Sam Obisanya, the compellingly dislikable Jamie Tartt, and all the other characters from the series. Players can take control of the team, or join it with their own created character as either a manager or a player, in Career Mode and online multiplayer matches. The kit, Nelson Road stadium and club badge will also be unlockable in Ultimate Team and Pro Clubs modes.
The addition was hinted at in a tweet from the Ted Lasso account on Tuesday, which read: “Look out, Mario! You’re not the only pixelated man with a mustache who never knows where the tube is taking him.”
In a press release, Sudeikis commented: “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 favourite AFC Richmond characters.”
EA Sports has been making the officially licensed Fifa games for almost 30 years, since 1993, but its relationship with the football giant is coming to an end. From next year, EA’s football games will be known as EA Sports FC, where Fifa will seek to license its name out to other developers to create competing games.
FIFA 23, the last product of the partnership, is out next week, on September 30.
