So you’re watching the new season of Ted Lasso, and you’re either thrilled or furious about your favorite ships (we don’t judge either way). If you’re looking for more of that sports-meets-romance fix, you are absolutely in the right place. We’ve curated a selection of great soccer romance books like Ted Lasso for all the feels plus that high-competition sports setting.
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
If you lowkey (or, let’s face it, highkey) shipped Roy and Jamie, but also are super psyched about the Season 4 women’s team reboot? Your quest for soccer romance books like Ted Lasso leads you here. Grace has been one of the US national team’s stars for a decade, and she’s only 26. But now she’s dealing with a nagging injury. In comes Phoebe, a younger, sunnier upstart who kind of idolized Grace for years. Now they’re teammates, competitors… and definitely something more, too.
Bonus: it’s in development for a TV adaptation!
The Long Game by Elena Armas
Imagine Ted and Rebecca’s storylines merged into one person, and you’ve got Adalyn, the protagonist of this sports romance. A polished soccer exec, she has her life turned upside down when a video of her altercation with a mascot goes viral. Now, she’s exiled to turn around a small-time soccer team… of nine-year-olds. Mysterious goalkeeper Cam could be her perfect solution, but he’s not inclined to help after their meet-ugly. Still, Adalyn is determined to make it work, and perhaps there’s more to Cam than she expects!
Everything for You by Chloe Liese
Noticing that at least a few of these soccer romance books like Ted Lasso are for Roy/Jamie fans? Yeah, we love it too. Unlike Jamie, though, this book’s Oliver is genuinely sunny and sweet — more a Jamie and Keeley hybrid. Team captain Gavin is pure Roy Kent: grumpy, legendary, and at the end of his career. When they’re named co-captains, Oliver and Gavin are quite literally forced to put their enmity aside. And when they do, they find sparks are still flying, just not the way they’re used to.
Relationship Goals by Brittany Kelley
Some soccer romance books like Ted Lasso don’t even try to hide it. This one sure doesn’t — the cover just screams Roy and Keeley, with a How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days-esque premise. Hollywood starlet Abigail shadows a soccer team in preparation for her next role, only to be surprised when notoriously grumpy player Luke asks her out. But just as their relationship gets going, she finds out he was forced to fake-date her. Now, it’s time to get even, but those inconvenient feelings still keep popping up!
The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco by Talia Hibbert
Calling fake dating fans! When soccer superstar Nik meets Aria, the one woman immune to his charms, he’s smitten. Even though she’s got her guard up, he’ll stop at nothing to prove he’s worthy of her heart, including paying her a huge amount of money to be his PR girlfriend. That’ll work for sure, right? The tropes may be familiar ones, but they’re familiar for a reason: when executed well (like they are here), they’re just so much fun!
Out of Her League by Ava Rani
If you want soccer romance books like Ted Lasso but light on the actual soccer, here you go! The focus here is the fake-dating arrangement between ambitious surgeon Isabelle and soccer star Austin. Isabelle is thriving professionally, but she needs a date to the wedding of the year when she finds out her ex (and his new girlfriend) are going to be there. Enter Austin, in need of some good PR. It’s all very The Wedding Date meets Wedding Season, in the best way!
Abby Offsides by Anna McCallie
Do you love mess as much as Marie Kondo? Take Ted’s fish-out-of-water life and add a seriously complicated love triangle, and you’ve got this sports romance. After leaving her cheating fiancé, Abby impulsively moves to the UK and gets a job with a football club. There, she meets new player Lachlan, and their bond grows fast. Unfortunately, he apparently is married to a mysteriously absent wife. And when Abby’s housing falls through and she moves in with him? The friend zone is a hard place for either of them to stay.
The RomCom Remake by Jen Atkinson
Like many of us (hi, it’s me), Fran dreams of a love story worthy of her own rom-com. The problem is, real life doesn’t work that way. Or at least, it doesn’t until a romance-skeptical stranger — and soccer star — kisses her to save her from public humiliation. Now she’s on a mission: to convince cynical Callum that love could be real after all. And as he lets love in, his on-field performance starts to improve, too. Now that’s a lesson Ted would totally approve of!