NWSL’s Kansas City Current Owner Thanks ‘Ted Lasso’ After Team’s Season 4 Cameo: “The Taylor Swift Effect”
As Apple TV's "Ted Lasso" returned for its Season 4 premiere, the show wove in real-life women's football, featuring the NWSL side Kansas City Current in Wednesday's episode "Home". Current co-owner Angie Long said the cameo, filmed at Kansas City's CPKC Stadium, acts as an "endorsement" of women's soccer, arguing the show's cultural reach can raise the sport's profile faster than results on the pitch alone.
In the episode, AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) travels to Kansas City to persuade Ted (Jason Sudeikis) to coach her new women's team, with a visit to the Current's fanbase—many played by real club staff—reassuring her the expansion can succeed. Long likened the boost to "the Taylor Swift effect" Swift had on the NFL and the Chiefs, and pointed to the upcoming Olympics and the 2031 Women's World Cup as reasons the extra visibility matters. Season 4 of the 13-time Emmy-winning series is now streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes released weekly on Wednesdays.
- Ted Lasso Season 4 featured real NWSL team Kansas City Current in an episode
- Co-owner Angie Long called it an "endorsement" for women's football
- She compared its impact to the "Taylor Swift effect" on NFL popularity
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The National Women’s Soccer League, or NWSL, is the top professional women’s football league in the United States. Kansas City Current is one of its clubs, co-owned by Angie Long, and plays at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.
Ted Lasso is a comedy-drama about an American coach managing a fictional English football club. Its latest season includes the Current and its supporters as part of a plot about starting a women’s team, bringing a real club into the fictional story.
The appearance highlights how television and well-known public figures can draw attention to women’s football. That visibility matters as the sport looks towards major events including the Olympics and the 2031 Women’s World Cup.