Hannah Waddingham always had a hunch "Ted Lasso" would come back — even when the man who created it was not so sure.

Speaking at a Variety and Apple TV screening and Q&A held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Waddingham said she never believed the show had truly ended, even as creator and star Jason Sudeikis wrestled with the decision. Her instinct has been vindicated: Season 4 is on its way, with Ted returning to coach AFC Richmond's new women's football team. Variety

Waddingham has played Rebecca Welton, the AFC Richmond team owner, since the show launched in 2020. At the MoMA panel, she pointed to the Season 3 finale as the seed for what comes next: Keeley Jones, played by Juno Temple, handed Rebecca a dossier proposing that Richmond add a women's side. That thread is now the spine of the new season.

Brendan Hunt, who co-created the series and plays Coach Beard, told the audience that Sudeikis texted him with a simple message: "I think we should do it. And I think we should do the women's team." Hunt said finding the right actor to play the women's team coach was critical, because that person had to slot into the show's established locker-room and office dynamics.

They found her in Tanya Reynolds, who joined the panel alongside two other new cast members, Jude Mack (goalie Boots) and Abbie Hern (Gemma). Reynolds described her character, Alice Chilton, as starting off "a spiky, cold shrew" whose gruff exterior melts the longer she spends around Ted. Variety

For Juno Temple, returning was straightforward. She called coming back for Season 4 a "no-brainer," citing both the continuation of the existing story and the fresh angle of a women's team. Annette Badland, who plays Mae, the owner of the Richmond pub The Crown & Anchor, also appeared on the panel, which was moderated by Variety executive editor Michael Schneider.

Reuters reported on August 3 that the Emmy-winning comedy returns to Apple TV+ for its fourth season with Ted heading back to London to help coach a women's side. Reuters Season 4 is set for a summer release, according to Variety's earlier reporting. Variety

Apple officially confirmed Season 4 on its newsroom page "In the Loop," stating that production kicks off in Kansas City. The new storyline takes the characters to a Kansas City Current women's soccer match, and Rebecca apparently falls for the city's famous barbecue. Variety

The "Ted Lasso" team has been talking up the sport's pull for a while. Back in June 2025, creators and cast members were among those at a Los Angeles event expressing hope that the World Cup would bring people together. Reuters

For fans, the new season threads a familiar needle: the warmth of old characters alongside the energy of new ones, all built around a women's team that was teased but never realised on screen — until now.