We’re counting down the days until the 2023 Women’s FIFA World Cup commences. Until then, we’ve put together a list of our favorite soccer movies to watch while we wait.
In celebration of the mountains climbed and battles won by women everywhere – in and out of soccer – this list compiles some of our favorite soccer movies and documentaries about women athletes.
As you’ll notice, this list isn’t as long as it might be if it were about men’s soccer. We hope as representation of women athletes continues to increase on the field, it also increases in the entertainment industry.
But for now, check out this list of top soccer movies to watch on DIRECTV leading up to the World Cup in July.
TOP WOMEN’S SOCCER MOVIES
Here are two of our favorite movies about women soccer players, available to watch with your DIRECTV subscription.
‘BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM’ (2002)
Over 20 years old, this film still resonates every time you watch it. Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra (Parminder Nagra), a British Indian young woman from a strict Punjabi family, always dreamt of playing soccer, but her family’s traditions had prevented her. The movie follows her as she meets Jules (Kiera Knightly) and dives deeper into the world of football than she ever thought possible.
A somewhat cheesy, but sweet film about culture, friendship, gender and sports, Bend It Like Beckham shows that anything is possible with the right mindset – and the right friends.
Rent or Watch ‘Bend It Like Beckham‘ Full Movie Now
‘SHE’S THE MAN’ (2006)
Soccer fan or not, She’s the Man is one of the most classic romantic comedies of the Aughts. Along the lines of Bend It Like Beckham, gender expectations drive much of this movie’s plot.
Amanda Bynes plays Viola Hastings, who decides to attend boarding school in place of her twin brother after having her high school girls’ soccer team get cut. An all-boys boarding school, that is, all the while dealing with Debutante lessons and kissing booth shifts.
In a Mulan-esque way, Bynes shows viewers that gender doesn’t determine skills, talent or anything else. Not to mention that no matter how hard they push you down, you can get back up and prove them wrong.
TOP SOCCER DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT WOMEN
While the number of movies about women’s soccer is seriously lacking, there are lots of other ways to prepare for the World Cup and celebrate the rise in women in sports. Here are two thought-provoking documentaries about the wins, losses and draws that come with being a professional female athlete.
‘THE 99ERS’ (2013)
Twenty years after the USWNT won the 1999 World Cup against China, ESPN released a documentary looking back on the monumental achievement. From Brandi Chastain’s winning penalty kick and subsequent celebration, to the changes made in the aftermath of the tournament, this film relives history with the help of 18 players from the 1999 roster.
What makes this documentary so special is that it focuses both on winning the actual game and the other things they fought for and won afterward.
‘THIS IS FOOTBALL: BELIEF’ (2019)
In 2019, Amazon Prime created This Is Football, an emotionally engaging docuseries on the impact football has had on the world. The second episode of the season is titled Belief, and tells “the story of the Japanese women’s football team’s remarkable 2011 World Cup triumph 3 months after natural disaster killed 16,000 people in Japan.”
The episode includes interviews from Japanese and U.S. women’s players and explores the hard-fought journey they and their predecessors went through to get to where we are today. And while there’s much more work to be done, this documentary honors the past while also pressing toward the future.
OTHER TOP MOVIES ABOUT WOMEN IN SPORTS
The celebration of women in sports and the fight for equity won’t end after this year’s World Cup, nor does the fight only apply to soccer. With that, here are a few other movies to check out on DIRECTV about the incredible stories of women athletes.
GET DIRECTV FOR ALL THE SOCCER CONTENT YOU WANT
With the World Cup coming up, now is the time to switch to the leader in sports, DIRECTV. Not only does DIRECTV have the live soccer coverage you want, it also has thousands of movies, including the soccer movies about female athletes listed above, for you and your family to enjoy.
Learn more about our four unique packages here. And make sure to check out the CHOICE™ Package, perfect for sports lovers!
The content is featured on https://www.directv.com/insider/ is editorial content brought to you by DIRECTV. While some of the programming discussed may now or in the future be available affiliates distribution services, the companies and persons discussed and depicted, and the authors and publishers of licensed content, are not necessarily associated with and do not necessarily endorse DIRECTV. When you click on ads on this site you may be taken to DIRECTV marketing pages that display advertising content. Content sponsored or co-created by programmers is identified as "Sponsored Content" or "Promoted Content."
