Ted Lasso stars say World Cup shows soccer’s U.S. rise

In Kansas City, ahead of a World Cup quarter-final, Brendan Hunt and Jason Sudeikis said the old line that soccer is not popular in the United States no longer fits a sport drawing record participation, bigger audiences and a larger place in American pop culture. Hunt, who co-created and stars in Ted Lasso, said the idea that soccer is still marginal was overstated, while Sudeikis said the show had even helped popularize the game inside his own home.

Their comments landed with extra weight because Ted Lasso has already moved well beyond a TV hit. The Apple comedy ran for three seasons, won 13 Emmys and became one of the most recognizable sports stories in recent American entertainment. Apple said season four will premiere on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, with new episodes each Wednesday through October 7. The new season will send Ted back to Richmond to coach a second-division women’s team.

The timing also matters because the 2026 men’s World Cup is shaping up as the biggest version of the tournament yet. FIFA says it will be the first men’s World Cup staged across three countries, with 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Eleven of those host cities are in the United States, putting the tournament on a national stage in a way that goes far beyond the usual soccer hot spots.

Hunt said the sport’s growth long predated Ted Lasso and that the country is much farther along than it was in 1994, the last time the United States hosted the men’s World Cup. Major League Soccer did not begin play until 1996, two years later, and since then the sport has moved from niche status toward a more mainstream place in American sports life.

The numbers back up that shift. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association said outdoor soccer participation in the United States reached 16.8 million in 2025, the highest level on record, while indoor soccer hit 6.6 million, also a record. On television, Fox said the 2026 World Cup delivered the most-watched group stage in English-language U.S. history, with viewing up 92% from 2022.

That combination of live attendance, youth and adult participation and rising television demand is what gives soccer its strongest case yet in the U.S. market. With Ted Lasso returning in August and World Cup matches spread across 11 American host cities, the sport’s next phase is being built as much by culture as by competition.