🎥 Ted Lasso Filmed at…

AFC Richmond may be a fictional English soccer club in the celebrated series “Ted Lasso,” but the storyline for its fourth season draws from real-life events, particularly those involving the Kansas City Current of the NWSL.

The opening episode of the new season was shot over a span of weeks in Kansas City, featuring a significant scene at CPKC Stadium where the characters watch a Kansas City Current match, laying the foundation for the season narrative centered around Ted Lasso coaching the newly formed AFC Richmond women’s team.

“It’s somewhat of a proof of concept,” Kansas City Current co-owner Angie Long stated to ESPN. “Everything we’ve built is visible, even in a show like ‘Ted Lasso.’ So, I see it as an endorsement. But its implications for the sport and women’s soccer are enormous.”

According to Long, the show’s producers reached out to them in April 2025 to pitch the idea. Jason Sudeikis, who stars as Lasso, is not only a fan of Kansas City but also of women’s sports – as Long describes, he’s “a friend of the team” and has attended multiple Current games.

In the season’s premiere, AFC Richmond’s team travels to Kansas City to inform Lasso of the launch of a women’s team, with Lasso being offered the coaching position. Notably, the plane shown in the episode is modeled after the Longs’ actual private jet. However, team owner Rebecca Welton, portrayed by Hannah Waddingham, seeks her own inspiration after hearing about another women’s team disbanding due to financial issues.

As concerns about the financial sustainability of a women’s team arise, Welton’s perspective shifts after witnessing the sold-out crowd and excitement at CPKC Stadium during the Current’s game. (The majority of fans depicted in the scene are Current employees.)

Art imitating life is evident here: Kansas City stands as one of the NWSL’s quintessential success stories. Owners Angie and Chris Long financed and developed CPKC Stadium, the first venue built specifically for an NWSL team, starting their project in 2022 on the belief that their investment would be worthwhile.

The team has consistently drawn a sell-out crowd of 11,500 fans for every home match since the stadium opened in 2024 and plans to expand the facility to accommodate 18,000 seats. Furthermore, developments include a billion-dollar riverfront district projected around the women’s soccer arena.

Women’s sports, including the NWSL, are witnessing rapid growth according to various business metrics, yet challenges like low salaries and team dissolutions have persisted until recent years. The NWSL faced setbacks before the Current when the previous team in the city, FC Kansas City, folded, and skepticism loomed over the Longs when they reintroduced an NWSL franchise in December 2020.

The narrative in season four of “Ted Lasso” reflects these realities. As Welton prepares for the Current’s game, AFC Richmond director of football operations Leslie Higgins (played by Jeremy Swift) informs her about another women’s team in England shuttering due to financial difficulties. Initially, Welton brushes off the concern, maintaining her optimism.

“Yes, we shall succeed where others have failed for some unknown reason out there somewhere, somehow,” Higgins quips sarcastically in the show.

For the players and staff who have experienced such challenges, these scenes resonate deeply. The NWSL represents the third attempt at a professional women’s soccer league in the U.S. and is the first to successfully reach a fourth season since its start in 2016—next year marking the league’s 15th anniversary.

Over the years, franchises have relocated, folded, and in some cases been revived, while players have campaigned for fair wages, going from earning $6,000 per year at the league’s inception to today’s salaries. Frugally run teams have evolved into franchises valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, with the league now boasting a stylish office in Manhattan.

The NWSL is currently in a growth phase, doubling its team count (to 16) since its launch in 2013. The league and its clubs are striving to broaden their appeal beyond their base, aiming for wider audience engagement—even at times at the expense of loyal fans.

However, the connection with “Ted Lasso,” a well-loved comedy centered around soccer, feels organic and is precisely the type of publicity the league has sought. The show was the most streamed original series in the U.S. in 2023, with 16.9 billion minutes streamed, according to Nielsen. It garnered 61 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning 13.

The previous three seasons primarily explored the men’s team of AFC Richmond, while the fourth season aims to introduce new viewers to professional women’s soccer.

“This show has the potential to significantly elevate the profile of women’s sports in a way that even we cannot achieve on the field,” Angie Long remarked. “It’s incredible. This could be akin to the Taylor Swift effect we’ve observed with the NFL and the Chiefs.”

“Expanding our reach and enhancing visibility is crucial—especially as we prepare for a World Cup year and the upcoming Olympics followed by the Women’s World Cup in 2031. It’s a vital opportunity to gain momentum and broaden our audience.”

Filming for the “Ted Lasso” cast in Kansas City spanned about three weeks, with the premiere episode highlighting local barbecue, fashion, and humor (“Kansas looks good on you,” Keeley Jones—played by Juno Temple—jests to a sparkling Welton, who retorts, “Unless this is f—ing Missouri.”).

Astute NWSL fans are likely to appreciate the authenticity portrayed in the season four opening. The cast dedicated an 11-hour filming day at the stadium in July 2025, meticulously combining scripted scenes with actual game footage taken from an NWSL match.

The Longs and their daughter Abigail also appear as extras seated in a suite during a scene where the four main characters tour the stadium, given by an actress in a teal blazer that echoes the team’s game-day attire resembling that of the team’s VP of communications, Dani Welniak.

Following the seating arrangement in the show, the scene cuts to two-time NWSL MVP and Golden Boot recipient Temwa Chawinga scoring a goal for the Current, evoking the same electrifying atmosphere that resonates in real life.

“We’re fortunate to be part of the wave accompanying soccer here and football over there,” Sudeikis mentioned during a recent conference at CPKC Stadium, coinciding with the World Cup that held matches in Kansas City. He wore a “USWNT” shirt featuring two-time World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe in her iconic celebration from 2019.

“The sport has existed long before any of us and will continue long after we’re gone. What’s happening here, particularly with the Current, is remarkable—this city has a rich legacy, going back to the Comets and the Wiz, leading to Sporting Kansas City today.” (Vlatko Andonovski, the Current’s sporting director, played for the Comets before transitioning into coaching. The Wiz was the precursor to Sporting Kansas City in MLS.)

Chris Long has yet to view the rest of “Ted Lasso” season four but is keen to witness how the narrative evolves as the characters navigate the challenges of establishing a successful women’s soccer team upon returning to England.

“What wasn’t the focus [in the premiere] is all the subsequent elements: the struggles and successes from day one with the team,” Chris Long told ESPN. “What does that look like in terms of facilities? Community engagement? How do we fill the stands? I’m excited for what lies ahead because I believe it will reflect several aspects familiar to the Kansas City Current, given our extensive time with them.”

Jeremy Swift touched on this during last month’s press conference, highlighting the overarching theme of the fourth season. Discussing his character, Higgins, and the fictional team, he noted that the sentiments are equally relevant to the Current, the NWSL, and all women’s sports as they evolve.

“This season aims to tackle the financial and ethical support of women’s football as Higgins strives to address,” Swift said. “While it’s thrilling and new, it requires substantial backing.”

A significant spotlight in a popular show like “Ted Lasso” could provide that vital support – even if just a little – for the team, the league, and women’s soccer as a whole.