Just one day after the internet blew up about the possibility of seeing a Ted Lasso and FIFA 23 crossover, it’s now officially been confirmed.

Earlier this week, the official Twitter account for the hugely popular Apple TV+ series tweeted out an image of Ted Lasso, aka Jason Sudeikis, with lots of cameras pointing at him.

“Look out, Mario! You’re not the only pixelated man with a mustache who never knows where the tube is taking him…” the caption read. That was pretty cryptic, but then the official FIFA Twitter account replied with just the watching eye emoji.

And now, EA Sports and Warner Bros. have confirmed a collaboration, with Ted Lasso and his team joining FIFA 23 as playable characters.

The official Ted Lasso Twitter account posted a video to announce the news. “I’ve got goosebumps. Seeing’ my guys in CGI is so weird. Except Roy for some reason,” the caption read as if Ted himself wrote it. The Roy mention was a reference to the fact many viewers believed that the character of Roy Kent – played by Brett Goldstein – was actually a CGI character.

“I am truly fortunate, and deeply grateful, to have had many special moments in my career thus far, and I consider this experience among the best of them,” Sudeikis said about joining the beloved video game series. “As long-time fans of EA SPORTS 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 favorite AFC Richmond characters.”

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It’s quite a curious collaboration, and it will be interesting to see how traditional FIFA fans, particularly those from Europe and the U.K., take to the news.

FIFA 23 will be the 30th and final instalment in the beloved FIFA series that will be developed by EA Sports. It’s scheduled for release around the world on Friday, September 30th. Some huge changes were recently announced for the video game, including the inclusion of the first-ever women’s club football league in the form of the English Barclays Women’s Super League.

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