Ted Lasso made his way to the FIFA World Cup.
Jason Sudeikis brought his infectiously positive soccer coach character to the biggest event in the sport on Sunday, thanks to a cameo in the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show, where his Ted Lasso character offered up some words of encouragement to co-headliner Justin Bieber.
“I think we need some heart, someone that has some soul, someone that can bring the love,” Sudeikis told Brendan Hunt, who was also in character as Coach Beard. Bieber then came out beside the two actors, holding his acoustic guitar. “Alright, young man, it’s your big shot. Now listen to me. Go out there, don’t be nervous. Nobody’s watching. Make us proud.”
Bieber then took to the pitch to perform his Swag II track “Everything Hallelujah,” going out alone in a more lowkey moment in what was otherwise a much more grandiose affair.
The Lasso cameo was one of several surprises in the jam-packed 11-minute hodgepodge. Madonna, in the midst of her Confessions II era, started the show with a pre-recorded segment where she rode in a dune buggy driven by Brazilian soccer players Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The muppets played “Seven Nation Army” with a Gustavo Dudamel-conducted orchestra. K-pop superstars BTS, fresh off a Paris stadium show the night prior, came out to perform their 2020 global smash “Dynamite.” Coldplay and the muppets joined the PS22 choir, a children’s chorus out of Staten Island.
The standout of the show, though, came from Shakira and Burna Boy, who brought a particularly lively performance of “Dai Dai,” the tournament’s official song.
The Lasso cameo comes just a few weeks before the Apple TV series is set to return for season four on Aug. 5.
