Soccer docs are sneaky good.
You get underdogs. Cartels. stadium disasters. Hollywood owners. World Cup madness. And fans who act like promotion is life or death…because sometimes it kind of is.
Here are some of the best soccer docs from my list.
1) “Welcome to Wrexham”
Release date: 2022
Two Hollywood guys buy a losing Welsh soccer team for £2 million.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney had never even met in person when they decided to buy Wrexham AFC.
The team was stuck in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. But the town still cared like it was Manchester United.
Trailer for “Welcome to Wrexham”
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- Wrexham plays at the Racecourse Ground, one of the oldest international soccer stadiums in the world.
- Ryan and Rob bought the club before they really understood how expensive soccer ownership gets.
- In season one, Wrexham loses a brutal playoff game to Grimsby. Grimsby gets promoted. Wrexham does not.
My take: This one is basically real-life “Ted Lasso” with more beer, more heartbreak, and actual stakes.
2) “The Two Escobars”
Release date: 2010
This is one of the best “30 for 30” docs ever made.
It follows two Colombians with the same last name: Pablo Escobar, the drug lord, and Andrés Escobar, the soccer star.
One built a cocaine empire. The other tried to lead Colombia on the field. Their stories crash together around the 1994 World Cup.
Trailer for “The Two Escobars”
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- Andrés Escobar scored an own goal against the United States in the 1994 World Cup.
- He was murdered soon after Colombia was knocked out.
- The doc shows how soccer, cartel money, national pride, and violence all collided in Colombia.
My take: If you like soccer docs with crime, politics, and real tragedy, this one is a must.
3) “Diego Maradona”
Release date: 2019
Diego was the sweet kid from Argentina.
Maradona was the god, the cheat, the addict, and the chaos machine.
This doc is from Asif Kapadia, the same director behind “Amy” and “Senna.” It focuses on Maradona’s wild years in Naples, where he turned Napoli into champions and became bigger than the Pope.
Trailer for “Diego Maradona”
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- When Napoli won the title in 1987, the city partied for two months.
- Fans even hung banners in cemeteries that said, “You don’t know what you missed.”
- Maradona got into fights on the soccer field using mostly his feet. No big haymakers. Just nasty little left-footed justice.
My take: This is the soccer doc for people who like genius mixed with self-destruction.
4) “Hillsborough”
Release date: 2014
This is the hardest watch on the list.
“Hillsborough” covers the 1989 stadium disaster in Sheffield, England, when 96 Liverpool supporters died during an FA Cup semifinal against Nottingham Forest.
The doc shows how bad crowd control, fencing, poor planning, and police failure turned a soccer match into the worst disaster in British sporting history.
Trailer for “Hillsborough”
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- Just 21 days before the match, the experienced police superintendent was transferred out after an internal scandal.
- His replacement, David Duckenfield, had little experience with that stadium setup.
- The pens behind the goal had fences, so fans could not move sideways to escape the crush.
My take: This is not a fun soccer doc. But it is important.
5) “Celtic”
Release date: 2008-ish / Archive doc
This one is for old-school soccer history fans.
The big story here is the Lisbon Lions: Celtic’s 1967 European Cup-winning team.
On May 25, 1967, Celtic beat Inter Milan 2–1 in Lisbon and became the first British team to win the European Cup.
Trailer for “Celtic”
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- Every single player on Celtic’s legendary Lisbon Lions squad was born within 30 miles of Celtic Park in Glasgow.
- Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup.
- They beat Inter Milan, the Italian giant known for defense, by playing relentless attacking soccer.
My take: Imagine beating Europe’s giants with a team made almost entirely from your neighborhood. That is insane.
6) “Pelé”
Release date: 2021
This is the story of the most famous soccer player ever.
Pelé was just 17 when he helped Brazil win the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
The doc tracks his rise, his impossible fame, and how he became a symbol of Brazil.
Trailer for “Pelé”
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- Pelé is the only player to win the World Cup three times.
- Between 1957 and 1961, Pelé scored 355 goals.
- When he traveled to Sweden for his first World Cup, he said little girls touched his skin because they had never seen a Black person before.
My take: This is the doc to watch if you want to understand why Pelé was not just great. He was a national event.
7) “Summer of 94”
Release date: 2026
This one is about the underdog U.S. men’s team at the 1994 World Cup.
Before MLS was a thing, before soccer was cool in the U.S., this team went on a two-year journey to prepare for the World Cup on home soil.
And somehow, they advanced to the round of 16.
Trailer for “Summer of 94”
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- The U.S. team spent about two years together in a camp-style setup to prepare for the 1994 World Cup.
- The 1994 World Cup helped prove soccer could work in America.
- The U.S. advanced to the round of 16 even though the program was still treated like a long shot.
My take: This is the doc to watch if you want the roots of modern American soccer fandom.
Wrap Up:
Start with “Welcome to Wrexham” if you want fun. Go to “The Two Escobars,” “Diego Maradona,” and “Hillsborough” when you want the darker, deeper stuff.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc