Summary
- The best soccer movies and TV shows celebrate the cultural impact of the sport, showcasing its global popularity and highlighting its importance on both a cultural and individual level.
- Soccer has gained more popularity in the United States in recent years, thanks to influential figures like Ryan Reynolds and talented players like Lionel Messi and David Beckham. American fans are beginning to recognize the excitement and action-packed nature of the sport.
- From documentaries about legendary players like Zidane to fictional films about underdog teams and historic tournaments, the best soccer movies and TV shows capture the passion, triumphs, and history of the beautiful game on a global scale.
The best soccer movies and TV shows bring entertainment to fans all over the world. Soccer, or football, as most of the world generally calls it, is one of the most popular sports in the world. The FIFA World Cups of 2010 and 2014 attracted an average of 3.2 billion views, making it the most-watched sporting event of the 21st century. Due to the immense popularity of the sport, it comes as no surprise that soccer has been the basis of numerous movies and TV shows over the years. These works highlight the importance of the sport, both on a cultural and an individual level, showing the impact that the beautiful game has had across the world.In recent years, soccer has also become more popular in the United States, where it has not reached the popularity it has in almost every other country across the globe. Thanks to people like Ryan Reynolds buying his own soccer team and players like Lionel Messi and David Beckham bringing their talents to the United States, fans in America are finally learning what the rest of the world knows. Soccer is one of the most action-packed sports there is, and as shows like Ted Lasso proved, the best soccer movies and tv shows match up well with shows based around any sport.
25 A Shot At Glory (2000)
- Not available to stream
A Shot at Glory is a movie from 2000 starring Robert Duvall as Gordon McLeod. the manager of the fictitious Kilnockie FC Scottish Football club as they attempt to reach their first-ever Scottish Cup Final. Scottish soccer player Ally McCoist stars in the lead role as Jackie McQuillan, the team's striker, an aging player who is ready to retire but has a chance to help lead the team to the finals before his career comes to a close. He is also McLeod's son-in-law and the two have a strained relationship. Michael Keaton also stars as the owner who wants to move the team, and unless they can win, the small fishing town will lose the only thing keeping it alive.
24 Escape To Victory (1981)
- Rent now on Apple TV+ & Prime Video
There are some very familiar faces in the 1981 soccer movie Victory. Released in 1981, the movie has a team of Allied POWs coached by a professional soccer player who agrees to play an exhibition match with a German team as a propaganda stunt. John Huston (The Treasure of Sierra Madre) directs the movie and there is a strong mix of familiar actors and real-life soccer players in the cast. Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, and Max von Sydow are in the cast along with players like Pele, Bobby Moore, and Osvaldo Ardiles.
23 Zidane — A 21st Century Portrait (2006)
- Not available to stream
Zinedine Zidane was one of the players showcased in Goal! There was also a documentary made about him in 2006, with the movie Zidane -- A 21st Century Portrait. This was a French movie made in 2006 by Douglas Gordon and Philippe Pareno, and it was unlike most of the best soccer movies and tv shows made today. The movie was more experimental, focusing on the playing style of Zidane, and influenced by an experimental German film from 1970 that focused on one player for an entire game. It is an arthouse film, but it remains a fascinating watch.
22 Fever Pitch (1997)
- Stream now on Peacock+
American fans know about the sports movie Fever Pitch, where Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore shared a love story with the backdrop of the Boston Red Sox World Series Championship. However, that movie was the second adaptation of the book by Nick Hornby. The first movie was more loyal to the book, which wasn't about baseball. It was about soccer. Colin Firth and Ruth Gemmell star as the couple whose romance is based around their team - Arsenal - winning its championship in 1988-89. The original remains the better of the two adaptations.
21 When Saturday Comes (1996)
- Stream now on Fubo
Sean Bean starred as a soccer player in the 1996 movie When Saturday Comes. The British movie is a Sheffield-based story with Bean playing Jimmy, a hometown boy who is a hard-drinking, working-class man who wants to play for Sheffield United, but finds himself stuck in the amateur leagues. With the help of his girlfriend, he catches the attention of some scouts and he finally makes it to the big dreams, where his dreams come true. It remains one of the best soccer movies and TV shows, a fun inspirational sports underdog story.
20 Next Goal Wins (2014)
- Not available to stream
In 2014, the documentary Next Goal Wins came out and told the story of the national football team in American Samoa who went from being one of the weakest teams in the world to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. In 2001, Australia beat American Samoa 31-0 in the most lopsided defeat in international football history. To turn things around in 2014, they hired Thomas Rongen as their new head coach and he helped push them to the FIFA World Cup tournament. The movie received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and a fictional retelling of Next Goal Wins arrived in 2023 from Taika Waititi.
19 Mean Machine (2001)
- Stream now on Paramount+
Starring ex-footballer and renowned "hard man," Vinnie Jones, Mean Machine is the story of a former England soccer player who gets sent to prison and ends up coaching a team of prisoners against a team of guards led by the warden of the prison. The movie is an adaptation of the 1974 American football movie, The Longest Yard, though it ultimately relies on British humor and culture for its comedy. Mean Machine remains a great look at the sport with a real-life player in the lead role, with a few other familiar faces in early roles, including Jason Statham and Jason Flemyng.
18 The English Game (2020)
- Stream now on Netflix
The English Game is a Netflix soccer drama. The miniseries explores the roots of the beautiful game in the UK before the sport became widespread across social classes. As a result, the series centers around a group of working-class men who aim to work with the upper classes to establish soccer in Britain. While the series has received mixed reviews, it will still certainly be an enjoyable watch for those who have been missing soccer due to the coronavirus outbreak postponing leagues around the world.
17 This Is Football (2019)
- Stream now on Prime Video
This is Football is one of the best soccer movies and tv shows on Prime Video, a documentary that presents stories, triumphs, and the history of soccer internationally. The series plays out in six parts and looks at the impact that soccer has had on the world. It goes into the passion in the streets of Delhi and how it brought together people in post-war Rwanda. The series also doesn't ignore the big names, as it also showcases the Champions League as it moves around the world and shows how big soccer really is to the world.
16 Pele (2021)
- Stream now on Netflix
There might not be a more famous and revered soccer player in history than Pele. Released in 2021 on Netflix, Pele tells the life story of the Brazilian soccer star, from his life as a child to his soccer success to his later work with the New York Cosmos. There is plenty of archival footage in the documentary, which should please any soccer fan, and it also includes a lot of old interviews as well as talking heads from modern soccer talking about Pele's influence on the sport. The movie received positive reviews after its arrival on Netflix.
15 Club de Cuervos (2015-2019)
- Stream now on Netflix
One of the best soccer movies and tv shows on Netflix is the series Club de Curvos, a Mexican comedy-drama that was the first Spanish-language series on the streaming service. The plot of the series focuses on Chava and Isabel, two siblings who fought over control of their family's soccer club after their father's death. Isabel was the most knowledgable and Chava had limited knowledge and a short-sighted attitude, which threatened to bring down the club. The series ran for four seasons and 45 episodes and received mostly positive reviews from critics.
14 The Two Escobars (2010)
- Not available to stream
The Two Escobars is part of the ESPN 30 for 30 film series, and it tells the story of soccer player Andres Escobar and drug lord Pablo Escobar. The focus of the documentary is on the parallels between the soccer star and the drug lord, both who had a passion for the sport, and both who ended up falling in violent deaths. It was Pablo Escobar's donations that helped Andres Escobar's soccer team gain entry into the South American championship. However, in that match, Andres accidentally scored an "own goal," causing his team's elimination, and his eventual murder by three men in Colombia days after the loss.
13 Mike Basset: England Manager (2001)
- Stream now on Tubi
Mike Basset: England Manager is a satirical comedy directed by Steve Barron, and starring Ricky Tomlinson and Bradley Walsh. The film follows the titular Mike Basset, a manager from England's lower leagues, who is appointed manager of the English national team. The film received warm reviews from critics, with many praising the performance of Ricky Tomlinson and the intelligent, satirical take on the world of football at the time. The movie shares a lot in common with Ted Lasso, with a manager in over his head but still able to win over the fans and media in the end. The movie led to a one-season TV series four years later.
12 Looking For Eric (2009)
- Stream now on AMC+
Looking for Eric is a British/French movie that focuses on a man named Eric Bishop who, after a night of drug consumption, is visited by a vision of Manchester United legend, Eric Cantona. The vision tells him how he can get his life back on track and get his wife back. Directed by Ken Loach, Looking for Eric is a heartwarming film that perfectly balances its emotional and poignant themes with intelligent and subtle humor. While not a movie about soccer, it is about the effects that soccer can have on its fans. It received mostly positive reviews and competed in competition at Cannes.
11 The Kicks (2015-2016)
- Stream now on Prime Video
The Kicks brought soccer to America in a teen sitcom partially created by professional women's soccer player Alex Morgan in 2015. The show follows a 12-year-old soccer player named Devin who was going to become the captain of her seventh-grade team when her parents move to California during the school year. Her new school has been on a losing streak and needs a new star, which Devin becomes. However, when their coach quits in the middle of the season and a janitor named Pablo takes over, the team has to fight with all they have to finish strong. The series lasted for one season and 10 episodes.
10 She's The Man (2006)
- Stream now on Paramount+
While She's the Man is an Amanda Bynes young adult comedy that is loosely based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Bynes plays Viola Johnson, who is a star soccer player with dreams of playing in college. However, her dreams are dashed when the school cuts the girl's team. When the boy's team won't let her try out, she disguises herself as her twin brother Sebastian and makes that team. In addition to starring Bynes, the film also stars former professional soccer player turned actor, Vinnie Jones, as the high school coach. Along with being a success commercially, She's the Man still has many fans to this day.
9 21 Thunder (2017)
- Stream now on Peacock
21 Thunder is a Canadian TV series that follows star soccer players at an under-21 academy in Montreal. The series aired on CBC Television in Canada for just one season and eight episodes in 2017. It received positive reviews upon its run and then ended up coming to America as a Netflix Original Series in 2018, although the streaming service eventually removed it. The show is a great look at soccer for even casual fans, and it has enough melodrama to entice those who just want to watch a good TV drama.
8 Rudo y Cursi (2008)
- Stream now on DirecTV
Carlos Cuarón directed one of the best soccer movies and tv shows with the comedy-drama Rudy y Cursi. The movie has some heavyweight firepower behind it, with a production team including Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, and Guillermo Del Toro, and stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna in the title roles. Rudo and Cursi are friends who work on a banana plantation in Mexico and dream of escaping this life, and they finally find a chance when a talent scout sees them playing soccer and offers only one of them a chance to try out for a major Mexican team. The movie received critical acclaim and enjoyed a successful box office run.
7 Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
- Stream now on Disney+
Bend it Like Beckham is a romantic sports comedy movie released in 2002 that tells the story of how a first-generation British/Indian girl named Jesminder rebels against her parents' prohibition against her playing football. Jesminder, or Jess for short, joins a local women's soccer team and helps them reach the top of the league. Bend It Like Beckham also includes cameos from former professional footballers Alan Hansen, Gary Lineker, and John Barnes. It was also a box office success, making $76.6 million, the most ever for a movie about soccer.
6 Shaolin Soccer (2001)
- Stream now on Paramount+
Shaolin Soccer is one of the best soccer movies and tv shows when it comes to comedies. Directed, written, and starring Stephen Chow, the film tells the story of a young martial artist who forms a soccer team with his "brothers" after he is scouted by a former player. The team uses their incredible martial arts skills to dominate the local tournament, even though they've never kicked a ball before. For fans of soccer or martial arts movies, this is a must-watch and is guaranteed to bring the laughs with Stephen Chow's unique blend of humor and action, particularly during the tournament scenes.