Jason Sudeikis has spent the last three years doing everything except playing Ted Lasso. He’s been in movies, done podcasts, made surprise appearances at sporting events, and generally enjoyed not having to wear a fake mustache and say “believe” every five minutes. But the mustache is back, the catchphrases are ready, and Ted Lasso Season 4 is happening whether you asked for it or not.
The Apple TV+ teaser confirms what Sudeikis revealed on his New Heights podcast with Travis Kelce: Ted is coaching a women’s soccer team now. This isn’t a creative leap so much as a logical continuation—Season 3 ended with Rebecca and Keeley forming the beginnings of an all-female squad for AFC Richmond. But logic rarely satisfies the internet, and the announcement generated the predictable chorus of “woke” accusations alongside genuine excitement. Sudeikis, for his part, seems unbothered. “Ted’s coaching a women’s team, so there, that’s it,” he said, with the energy of a man who has already won an Emmy and doesn’t need your approval.
Sudeikis has always been the driving force behind Ted Lasso, both as star and co-creator. His journey from Saturday Night Live cast member to beloved leading man is one of those rare career trajectories that makes sense in retrospect—his particular brand of earnest, slightly goofy charm was perfect for a show about an American optimist trying to survive English football culture. The first three seasons turned him into a global star and, briefly, into the kind of person who gets asked about his feelings at press conferences. He seems relieved to be back in character rather than being the character.
The teaser shows Sudeikis alongside returning cast members Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, and Jeremy Swift, all looking thrilled to be back on the pitch. Brendan Hunt returns as Coach Beard, because what is Ted without his silent, mysterious best friend? The new addition is Tanya Reynolds from Sex Education, playing a female coach who looks appropriately skeptical about joining Ted’s optimistic enterprise. Nick Mohammed’s Nathan Shelley is noticeably absent from early footage, suggesting the traitor-turned-redeemed-coach might not be in Ted’s orbit this season.
Sudeikis has described the new season as “daunting” because they “told the story we wanted to tell” in Season 3. That finale saw Ted return to America to be with his family, achieving the work-life balance he’d been struggling toward for three seasons. It was a satisfying ending. Bringing him back requires justification, and the women’s team provides it—Ted can’t resist a coaching challenge, especially one that lets him be the underdog again.
The teaser itself is minimal: shots of training, Sudeikis giving his familiar inspirational speeches, and Coach Beard reading a book on women’s soccer. The release date is set for Summer 2026, which gives Apple TV+ a major tentpole and gives Sudeikis time to remember how to do the voice. Brett Goldstein returns as writer and executive producer, ensuring that Roy Kent’s aggressive positivity will continue to influence the show’s tone.
What makes Ted Lasso Season 4 interesting isn’t the premise—it’s the meta-narrative. Sudeikis could have walked away. He had the Emmys, the cultural impact, the perfect ending. Returning suggests he has more to say about this character, or perhaps that he misses the environment that created him. Ted Lasso was always about finding community in unlikely places; maybe Sudeikis needed to return to his.
The women’s team angle also allows the show to address the massive disparity in resources and attention between men’s and women’s football, something the real AFC Richmond has navigated in recent years. Sudeikis has never been afraid of sincerity, and this season promises plenty of it, wrapped in the familiar packaging of underdog sports comedy.
Jason Sudeikis is back. The mustache is back. Ted Lasso is back. Whether this season justifies its existence remains to be seen, but the teaser suggests Sudeikis isn’t phoning it in. He believes, and for now, that’s enough.
Stream Ted Lasso Season 4 on Apple TV+ starting Summer 2026, and catch up on Seasons 1-3 to remember why Jason Sudeikis became everyone’s favorite optimist.