Cinematic Highlights
The United States’ World Cup campaign ended abruptly when Belgium edged them out, leaving fans to look for other ways to stay connected to the tournament.
Streaming services have seized the moment, offering a curated selection of soccer‑centric movies and documentaries that span decades and continents.
HBO Sports’ docuseries “U.S. Against the World: Four Years with the Men’s National Soccer Team” gives an inside look at the team’s preparation for the 2026 tournament, and it is now available on HBO Max, Netflix, Kanopy, Tubi, Prime Video, Apple TV and Amazon.
For those interested in legendary figures, Asif Kapadia’s documentary “Diego Maradona” revisits the Argentine star’s meteoric rise and turbulent career in the 1980s, while a separate film chronicles the Brazilian icon Pelé, who captured three World Cup titles.
“Pelé: Birth of a Legend” dramatizes the young Pelé’s journey to leading his nation to its first World Cup triumph, and “The Two Escobars” draws a striking parallel between drug lord Pablo Escobar and footballer Andrés Escobar, exploring how sport intersected with politics and crime.
Another underdog story, “Next Goal Wins,” follows Dutch coach Thomas Rongen as he transforms the American Samoa side from obscurity to competence, a narrative later adapted by Taika Waititi into a feature film starring Michael Fassbender.
The breadth of titles — ranging from archival footage to narrative reenactments — means viewers can trace the evolution of soccer culture through cinema, whether they are drawn to historic triumphs or the quirks of lesser‑known teams.