Ted Lasso x EA SPORTS FIFA 23

The EA SPORTS x Ted Lasso collaboration is the perfect modern-day example of how listening to and leveraging fan interest can drive new levels of engagement, while also positively impacting a sporting community.

The results speak for themselves: With no paid media, the partnership got more social buzz than when the show won four Emmy Awards, and streaming of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ increased 35% after the activation, proving out excellence in fan engagement. AFC Richmond was also the 17th most played team in FIFA, out of more than 700 real teams in the game. The success of the collaboration and positive reception worldwide set the standard for brand collaborations and will serve as inspiration to grow the world of football across new audiences and platforms.

To reinforce EA SPORTS FIFA’s position as the most authentic interactive global football experience, EA SPORTS joined forces with AppleTV+ to bring everyone’s favorite mustachioed manager, Ted Lasso, and fictional English football club to the place any REAL club would show up—EA SPORTS FIFA.

The collaboration between EA SPORTS FIFA and AppleTV+ to bring the Emmy-award winning show, Ted Lasso, to FIFA 23, ultimately united key audiences in the modern football community: gamers, streamers and sports/football fans. But for gamers to accept it, and sports fans to embrace it, it couldn’t feel like a branded sponsorship.

Ted Lasso’s official Twitter account kicked off the partnership with a teaser featuring the back of his head getting a 360º motion capture scan. Thousands of fans of Ted and EA SPORTS FIFA immediately started speculating about the possibility of Ted and AFC Richmond actually being in the game. The next day, our launch film confirmed the partnerships.

EA SPORTS developers created an immersive experience that truly made players feel like they were a part of the AFC Richmond world. Within the game, football and Ted Lasso fans alike can authentically take control of AFC Richmond across multiple game modes including Career Mode, Kickoff, Online Friendlies and Online Seasons and unlock special items including kits, tifos, Manager items, and other content across FIFA Ultimate Team™(FUT) and Pro Clubs.