‘Ted Lasso’s Real Season 4 Villain Has Officially Been Revealed

Published Sep 30, 2026, 2:12 PM EDT

Kendall Myers is a Senior Author with Collider. As part of the TV and Movies Features team, she writes about some of the most popular releases before, during, and after they premiere. In three years, she has written over 900 articles with topics ranging from classic sitcoms to fantasy epics.

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 9.

Ted Lasso's Season 4 return has introduced several changes, including a new women's team and a largely new cast. Additionally, although it's late in the season, the series just confirmed its new villain. While the series has kept the identity of the rich enemy trying to gain power over the club a mystery, fans have had several theories, ranging from Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head) to Edwin Akufo (Sam Richardson). However, Season 4's penultimate episode, "Mae Rides the Bus," confirms AFC Richmond's biggest threat, and it's closer to home than the characters realize.

Though Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) doesn't know it yet, Zelda Southport (Tracey Ullman), wealthy entrepreneur and AFC Richmond's new special advisor, is behind everything. Early in the season, Zelda got involved with Richmond's women's team because she's passionate about women's sports, but she quickly became a polarizing character. Now, it's clear that Zelda is buying up the team's shares, and though she cannot acquire more than Rebecca, who holds 51% after her choice in the Season 3 finale, she can get close. While her ultimate goal is still unclear, Ted Lasso's reveal that Zelda is the villain sets up even more drama for the Season 4 finale.

'Ted Lasso' Season 4 Finally Unmasks Its Villain

Throughout the new season, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) and the Lady Greyhounds have faced plenty of challenges, from injuries to lack of funding, but this is the greatest problem yet. Early in the season, Rebecca and Higgins (Jeremy Swift) become concerned about a mysterious buyer gaining control of Richmond's shares, with Higgins sent to investigate and prove someone is intimidating fans into selling. Mae (Annette Badland) instructs him to "follow the anger," leading him to Rupert Mannion as the prime suspect. After all, Rebecca and Rupert's history is particularly messy. Though the late Anthony Head doesn't reprise his role in Season 4, Higgins reports that Rupert denies any involvement.

Angling the story back to Rupert could have been a return to Ted Lasso's old formula, given his previous efforts to thwart Rebecca, but instead, the truth comes out when Zelda takes a call from her creepy friend, Hugo Riddles (Alex Blake), who is doing her dirty work as she tries to gain control of AFC Richmond. The worst part of this scheme is that she listens in on meetings about this mysterious enemy and uses that information to further her plans. When Rebecca and Higgins accuse Rupert, Zelda pauses her buying, making Rupert seem that much more suspicious. Then she learns the Milk Sisters hold enough shares to protect Rebecca and sends Hugo to find them and buy their shares at any price. This betrayal, which occurs just as Rebecca accepts her, makes Zelda's scheme worse, whatever it may be.

Zelda Is the Perfect Villain for 'Ted Lasso' Season 4

Rebecca has made some enemies since Ted Lasso began, but Zelda being Season 4's villain makes sense. Not only has she been one of fans' biggest suspects, but, as Rebecca acknowledged, she's always been suspicious. In the beginning, Zelda quickly tries to wedge herself between Rebecca and Keeley (Juno Temple), but her actions look different in hindsight since she's now posing as a friend and inserting herself into Richmond for her own scheme. Given the show's commentary on the challenges women face in male-dominated fields like sports, it's logical for this new chapter of Ted Lasso to have a female antagonist.

Although fans now know Zelda is responsible for the buyout, the show still needs to either explain what she is planning or let Rebecca and Higgins figure it out, as well as the reason why Zelda would be harboring anger towards Rebecca or AFC Richmond, as Mae once suggested. This twist sets up another major reveal for the Season 4 finale, which, if previous seasons of Ted Lasso are anything to go by, will be an eventful hour.

Ted Lasso Season 4 is streaming on Apple TV with new episodes on Wednesdays.