Ted Lasso returns to Apple TV this week for the first time since 2023.
After three seasons following the fictional AFC Richmond club in the English Premier League, this season focuses on AFC Richmond’s women’s team. During its initial run, the series became a cultural phenomenon as Apple TV’s most watched series and a critical darling with more than 60 Emmy nominations. The timing of the new season and the shift in focus come at a perfect time with both interest in soccer and women’s sports surging. There is an opportunity for the series to drive interest in soccer even higher though.
This could be especially true for the growth of women’s soccer.
Sports Poll began tracking viewers of the most popular sports documentaries and scripted series this past year.
Among Ted Lasso viewers, 58% identify as fans of pro soccer. That means over 40% of all viewers have no interest in following the sport outside of the show. The numbers are even more striking for women’s soccer. Only 34% of viewers are fans of the US-based NWSL, and just 17% are fans of the UK’s Women’s Super League (Ted Lasso’s women’s team plays in the second division just below the WSL). The glass-half-full perspective is that this means there is a low baseline and plenty of room for fandom to grow.
This will likely be many viewers’ first in-depth exposure to women’s pro soccer, and it’s safe to assume most Ted Lasso fans know little to nothing about the WSL today.
Riding the wave from this summer’s World Cup, the series should provide a springboard to raise awareness and expand the fan base for soccer, including women’s leagues like the NWSL and WSL. With the Women’s World Cup coming up in 2027, this could be a pivotal moment for the growth of women’s soccer.
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Sports Poll by SSRS is conducted continuously throughout the year and includes a nationally representative sample of more than 24,000 Americans each year.
