If you’re looking for something to get you hyped for Euro 2024 then look no further, as our critics have picked the 30 best football shows on demand that you won’t want to miss.
For true footie fans, there are plenty of documentaries following players’ journeys, while those who prefer a little more escapism can pick from winning comedy dramas about the beautiful game.
And, because it’s not all about what happens on the pitch, our critics have picked the best shows about the women behind the world’s male superstars: the WAGs whose husbands are married to the sport.
From Netflix to Disney+ and BBC iPlayer, we sift through streaming sites so you don’t have to.
Wayne Rooney looks back at the 2004 Euros tournament that made him into a global sensation
Year: 2024
This focuses on the 12 days at the 2004 Euros in Portugal – during which 18-year-old Wayne Rooney briefly became the tournament’s youngest-ever goalscorer – that changed the footballer’s life forever. Although he was still a kid, Rooney – the ‘teenage terrier’ – exuded confidence on the pitch. ‘I felt invincible,’ Rooney says in this documentary as he looks back on the highs and lows of the tournament that made him famous around the world. ‘These world-class players, I felt I was better than all of them.’
Unfortunately in the quarter-final against the hosts, Rooney broke his foot after 27 minutes and was forced to watch the squad’s exit from the Euros from a hospital bed. Re-live all excitement in this programme, where Michael Owen is one of the many talking heads paying tribute to Rooney. (29 mins)
Ted Lasso
Hit comedy about an American manager at a struggling London football team
Year: 2021-
Certificate: 15
Apple’s breakout comedy hit mixes American optimism with British cynicism to create something unique and award-winning. The story follows an American managing a London football team – Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is the optimistic Ted, a character who began life as a quick-fire joke on US TV to publicise NBC’s coverage of the Premier League.
That Ted was just clueless, and didn’t really care, but the Ted of Apple’s series is a fully rounded character who treats every day as a learning experience, and has his own secret struggles.
Series one follows this cheery soul’s arrival at AFC Richmond in London, where he tries to win over such snarky characters as formidable owner Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and sweary captain Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). (Three series)
BECKHAM
In-depth series about the life of footballer David Beckham
Year: 2023
Certificate: 15
This series from the Oscar-winning documentary maker Fisher Stevens (The Cove) delves well beneath the surface of David Beckham and, in the process, of his relationship with his wife Victoria.
Stevens uses previously unseen personal archive from the past four decades to flesh out the story of David’s football career and home life, but it’s current footage shot with the Beckhams – both apart and together – that feels the most illuminating. It’s often the small things that compel the most, too, such as the moments that dwell on David’s cleaning habits and approach to money, and when he’s collecting honey from his beehives.
And, if that wasn’t enough, Stevens has gathered observations from an array of familiar faces including Eric Cantona, Sir Alex Ferguson, Roy Keane and Mel C – as well as David’s mum and dad – who round out the perspective we get from the Beckhams. Neither of them has exactly been short of media coverage over the decades, so it’s to Stevens’s credit that he’s created a profile this compelling, and that feels like it actually has something new to say. (Four episodes)
Mbappe
An exploration of the influences and opportunities that led France’s Kylian Mbappe to become one of the best players in the world
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Paired with a six-part podcast (listen on BBC Sounds), this documentary provides a rounded appraisal of French captain Kylian Mbappe and why he is currently considered one of the greatest players in the world.
Born in Paris, Mbappe’s talent was spotted early on and Thierry Henry and Bernardo Silva are among those sharing insights into what marked the teenage player out while at the prestigious Clairefontaine academy and later, when he joined Monaco’s first team.
He was only 19 when, in 2018, he became the youngest French player to score in the World Cup, and the second teenager – after Pele – to score in a World Cup final.
We also hear from Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate, who joined him in the dressing room for the 2022 World Cup, during which Mbappe won the Golden Boot and scored a hat-trick in the final, setting a record for the most goals scored in World Cup final matches. (59 minutes)
99
Telling the behind-the-scenes story of Manchester United’s treble-winning season
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Across ten days in 1999, Manchester United would play for and win the Premier League, the FA Cup and – in incredibly dramatic last-gasp fashion – the UEFA Champions League, becoming the first English team to win all three in a single season. It was an almost unbelievable achievement, made all the more incredible – as this three-part documentary reveals – by the internal divisions, dressing room politics and media meltdowns that peppered their season.
Made by the team that were behind last year’s Beckham documentary, this fantastically detailed and insightful series boasts access to all the main figures at Man Utd, from David Beckham and manager Sir Alex Ferguson to the likes of Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Peter Schmeichel, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and many more. It genuinely feels like the defining account of one of English football’s greatest moments. (Three episodes)
Sunderland ‘Til I Die
Behind-the-scenes at Sunderland Football Club in victory and defeat
Year: 2018-2024
Certificate: 15
The first two series of this fly-on-the-wall documentary about Sunderland Football Club haven’t been pleasant viewing for fans. The first covered 2018-19 when they followed up relegation from the Premier League by dropping out of the Championship too and into League One. The second hoped to show them getting promoted, but instead saw them stagnating in mid-table.
This third and final run of two episodes finally gives fans something to cheer about as the club battles for a play-off final spot and a return to the Championship. The on-the-pitch stuff is smartly done, but – as Welcome To Wrexham on Disney+ proved – this really comes to life when it focuses on the club’s dedicated fans, whose mental health and happiness hinge on Sunderland AFC thriving. (Three series)
Lionesses: How Football Came Home
The England women’s football team’s Euro 2022 success
Year: 2022
Certificate: 12
Racking up victory after thrilling victory in the European Championships en route to a showpiece Wembley final and England’s first major footballing title since the men won the 1966 World Cup, the Lionesses allowed football fans to dream again.
With access to the players themselves, as well as official UEFA footage of the games and unseen behind-the-scenes video, this documentary sets out to tell the story of that frankly glorious summer.
As you watch new interviews with the team, it’s fascinating to reflect on how quickly so many of them – including captain Leah Williamson, top goalscorer Beth Mead and future Queen of the Jungle Jill Scott – have now become household names. (77 minutes)
Welcome To Wrexham (Series 1)
How two Hollywood A-listers came to the rescue of Wrexham FC
Year: 2022
Certificate: 15
In 2020, Wrexham AFC became one of the most famous football clubs in the world. Not because they’d won the Champions League or won promotion, or even pulled off a particularly impressive spot of FA Cup giant-killing.
No, their sudden brush with celebrity came because Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney had just bought the club. But why did the Deadpool star and one of the blokes from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia decide to back Wrexham AFC? And could their hands-on, community-based approach really work?
This cheery documentary follows what happens when movie-star glamour comes to North Wales and builds into something very real and uplifting as it goes on. It’s also a fascinating and genuinely innovative television premise, in that the show itself was actually conceived as a way of financing the club – not just to document the process. (18 episodes)
Captains Of The World
Insider look at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Year: 2023
Certificate: 12
From Fulwell 73, the same company that brought us the excellent Sunderland ‘Til I Die, this six-parter provides a behind-the-scenes guide to all the drama of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The level of access is impressive – there are interviews with Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Gareth Bale, Lionel Messi and Simon Kjær – and the way all the perspectives on the tournament are stitched together turns it into a thrilling and very human ride, one that should even be of interest to non-sports fans. That level of universal appeal is always a good test of a documentary’s quality, and Captains Of The World certainly scores on that front. (Six episodes)
The Final: Attack On Wembley
Examining what really happened when fans stormed England’s 2020 Euro final
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
England’s progression to the final of the 2020 European football championships filled the country with hope not seen since the last home Euros in 1996. Maybe football was finally coming home? But all that optimism turned sour when on the day of the final on 11 July 2021, postponed due to Covid-19, thousands of ticketless fans attempted to storm Wembley stadium to watch the game against Italy.
This documentary mixes news footage, social media video and brand new interviews with many of those involved to chart a day when drink, drugs and mob mentality led to appalling scenes of violence and mayhem. It’s gripping stuff that paints a picture of emotions bottled up during the pandemic finally being given rein to run dramatically and frighteningly wild. The depiction of the events and their aftermath is detailed, but what’s most memorable is quite how unrepentant many of those involved in the carnage remain. (82 minutes)
Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story
The inside story of the Wagatha affair, told by Coleen Rooney
Year: 2023
Certificate: 15
The ‘Wagatha Christie’ affair, where Coleen Rooney accused Rebekah Vardy of leaking stories about her to the press, has been one of the most extraordinary celebrity stories of the 21st century – partly because of the way Rooney turned into an amateur sleuth to gather the evidence herself. The accusation ‘It’s…Rebekah Vardy’s account’, announced with great dramatic flair on Rooney’s Instagram in 2019, led to a libel case that Vardy lost in 2022.
In this expansive three-part series for Disney+, Rooney speaks at length about the case for the first time, alongside her family and legal team. For fans of celebrity stories it should be a real popcorn moment, but the show also makes time to examine the impact of living life in the spotlight.
Rooney had this to say about the experience of making the documentary: ‘It hit home just how low I was at that time. My emotions really came out and that made the interview process quite intense, but then it was also a good chance to reflect. I truly stuck to my guns from beginning to end. My story never changed from day one, and I was telling the truth. That’s all I could do, and that’s what I did.’ Find out more in the series. (Three parts)
Pep Guardiola: Chasing Perfection
A deep dive into Pep Guardiola’s relentless pursuit of perfection
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
How do you get to be one of the greatest football managers of all time? Former player Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola i Sala is currently the manager of Manchester City and the holder of a number of impressive records. He’s the youngest manager to win the Champions League and the only manager to win the continental treble twice – with his former team Barcelona in 2008/2009 and with Manchester City last year.
If you’re a fan you’ll know all this off by heart, but what about the man behind all the trophies? This documentary hears from his inner circle to chart his journey from a small town in Catalonia, Spain, to footballing glory, via Barcelona’s B team and a stint at Bayern Munich. Current Man City players Phil Foden and Kyle Walker also reveal what it’s like to train and play under his leadership. (60 mins)
Italia 90: Four Weeks That Changed The World
The ultimate guide to the unforgettable 1990 World Cup
Year: 2022
Certificate: 15
The 1990 World Cup began with one of the most incredible upsets in international football. Rank outsiders Cameroon beat defending champions Argentina – a team containing Diego Maradona.
The tournament continued to be memorable for all kinds of reasons – England’s excellent performances and ultimate demise on penalties, Paul Gascoigne’s tears, Italy’s ‘Toto’ Schillaci, virtually unknown outside of his own country, becoming the top scorer, the spine-tingling sound of Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma over the BBC’s opening credits.
This three-part documentary tells the story of the competition, and the major historical shifts happening off the field, through the journey of five teams – England, Italy, Cameroon, Yugoslavia and eventual winners West Germany. Interviewees include Gazza, John Barnes, Schillaci and Cameroon’s Roger Milla. (Three episodes)
Married To The Game
A behind-the-scenes look at the lives of football’s WAGs
Year: 2024
Being the wife or girlfriend of a top-flight international footballer must be great, right? Well, yes, but along with the lavish house, expensive wardrobe and great cars there’s a downside too, as this slick and glossy documentary series reveals.
A life in the spotlight, the attentions of fickle fans and dealing with the pressures of suddenly having to up sticks and move from the UK to the Middle East when a transfer goes through are just a few of the pressures heaped on the partners of Ilkay Gundogan, Jorginho, James Tarkowski, Matt Turner and Riyad Mahrez as the cameras follow them through the summer break and the transfer window. (Six episodes)
Changing Ends
Comedy telling of Alan Carr’s childhood, growing up in 1980s Northampton
Year: 2023
You’ve got to feel for young Alan Carr, growing up in the 1980s with a macho dad and judgmental neighbours. While young Alan thinks he’s bubbly and fun, to others he’s ‘different’ (one of the kinder descriptions) or a ‘four-eyed freak’ (much less kind).
With Carr The Elder hovering in the background to narrate his loosely autobiographical tale, it’s the casting of Oliver Savell as young Alan that really makes this six-part sitcom work (he’s definitely Alan, but not too much).
Special mention also goes to Shaun Dooley (the voice of SAS: Who Dares Wins) as Alan’s dad Graham – the manager of fourth-division Northampton Town FC – who conveys perfectly the struggles of loving but not entirely understanding his son. (Six episodes)
Matildas: The World At Our Feet
Behind the scenes with the Australian women’s football team
Year: 2023
Women’s football is getting more popular every year, with this summer’s World cup in Australia and New Zealand set to be the sport’s biggest event yet. With that in mind, Disney packed their cameras off to follow the Australian team, nicknamed the Matildas, as they get ready for the most important tournament of their lives.
Following them as they prepare for games and getting the behind-the-scenes stories from training is just part of the fun here – we also get to discover the back stories of players like Chelsea superstar and Australia team captain Sam Kerr, as the team talk about the struggles they’ve endured just to play, let alone make it to the top in a sport that’s only now enjoying the recognition it deserves. (Six episodes)
That Peter Crouch Film
The gangly football legend tells his very entertaining story
Year: 2023
At 6ft 7in tall, Peter Crouch seemed to be made up entirely of knees and elbows, but his undoubted talent for putting the ball in the back of the net made him a huge success for Liverpool, Spurs and England, with his robot goal celebration earning him a place in fans’ hearts. But just as Crouch wasn’t built like your typical footballer, this documentary about him is anything but your typical footballer bio.
Yes, it features appearances by everyone from Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard to former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, but it’s also as self-mocking, exuberant and silly as Crouch himself. And yes, it’s full of tall stories… (86 minutes)
Rio Ferdinand’s Tipping Point
Football’s relationship with racism, homophobia and mental health
Year: 2022
Certificate: 15
Don’t worry, the former Manchester United footballer is not taking over from Ben Shephard as the host of the daytime quiz show. What we’re actually getting here is a trio of in-depth looks at serious and sensitive issues from the world of football.
Across three different films, Ferdinand sets out to investigate how racism, homophobia and an ominous silence about mental health issues have become woven into the game at all levels. Talking to everyone from top-flight players to fans, from club representatives to members of the sport’s governing bodies, he asks important questions about the way that the culture of professional football needs to change and develop in the 21st century. (Three episodes)
Under Pressure: The US Women’s World Cup Team
Following the US women’s footballers at the 2023 World Cup
Year: 2023
Certificate: 12
When it comes to women’s football, the United States team are the sport’s accepted giants. Prior to the 2023 World Cup in Australia they’d won the tournament four times and had never failed to make at least the semi-final. Now they were going for an unprecedented three wins in a row.
When this behind-the-scenes documentary was commissioned, Netflix must have envisaged it as the story of another grand march to victory. What they ended up with, though, was something much more revealing as expectation smashed into reality and the US found themselves struggling to compete with a raft of greatly improved teams from around the world. Watching a squad used to only winning being forced to confront the very real prospect of losing is compelling. (Four episodes)
We Are Newcastle United
Sports documentary chronicling the Magpies’ tumultuous 2022-23 season
Year: 2023
Certificate: 12
The perennial sleeping giant of Premier League football, Newcastle finally woke up this year. With controversial new owners tied to Saudi Arabia, a handful of big-money signings and an ambitious new manager in the shape of Eddie Howe, suddenly they weren’t just aiming to survive in the top flight, they were looking to compete with the very best right at the top of the table.
Told over four parts and narrated by Alan Shearer, it’s a fascinating documentary series that highlights the changing face of the modern game. It ticks all the behind-the-scenes boxes, but it’s also not afraid to ask some difficult ethical questions about the club’s new owners’ connections to Saudi Arabia and the fans’ attitudes towards them. (Four episodes)
The Beautiful Game
Bill Nighy stars in a feelgood football comedy drama based on the Homeless World Cup
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
A regular real-life event, the Homeless World Cup gathers together impoverished players from around the globe to compete and raise awareness for issues related to poverty and homelessness. It makes for an affecting backdrop to this feelgood sports movie that sees coach Mal (Bill Nighy) and his team heading for Rome to compete in the latest tournament, accompanied by new addition to the team, hugely talented but also highly troubled striker Vinny (Empire Of Light’s Micheal Ward).
It’s spirited, uplifting stuff with a strong vein of good humour, anchored by typically fine performances from Ward and the always marvellous Nighy. (125 minutes)
Angel City
Behind the scenes at the celebrity-backed LA women’s football team
Year: 2023
Before they even kicked a ball, the latest entry to the world of women’s professional football was drawing headlines. But then what would you expect when Los Angeles’s new Angel City team was backed by not only the largest female ownership group in professional sport, but one that also included Hollywood stars such as Eva Longoria, Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Garner?
This glitzy and aspirational documentary series goes behind the scenes at the club to explore their dreams of making women’s sport a hit in America, while also charting the real-life struggles on and off the pitch during their 2022 debut season. Of the celebrity owners, Portman in particular features a lot across the series. (Three episodes)
Messi’s World Cup: The Rise Of A Legend
Series charting the career of the Argentinian footballing superstar
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Lionel Messi arrived at the 2022 World Cup with an extraordinary playing career behind him, but despite a raft of Ballon D’Or wins, league trophies and Champions League victories, the Argentinian was missing one thing that would remove all argument about him being the greatest player of his generation: a World Cup win. The next few weeks would see that change.
With up-close-and-personal access to Messi himself, this detailed and passionate four-part documentary series charts not only Argentina’s march to glory in Qatar, but Messi’s career as a whole, allowing footballing greats from around the world to pay tribute to the mercurial genius of the ‘Little Magician’. (Four episodes)
Save Our Squad With David Beckham
Can the football legend help a London boys’ team avoid relegation?
Year: 2022
Certificate: u
Some shows bring an instant smile to your face, and this is one of them. The idea is fairly basic. Can footballing legend David Beckham help a struggling boys’ team to avoid relegation from the East London league they play in, the same one that Beckham himself played in when he was a boy?
Full of hope, inspiration and wit (the bit where one of the lads quizzes Beckham about penalties he’s missed is priceless), the show follows the former England captain as he not only works with the boys in training and during matches, but also meets their families and tries to learn about their lives outside the game. Simple stuff? Well, yes. But it’s also simply lovely. (One series)
Super League: The War For Football
An examination of plans to form a breakaway league featuring the world’s richest football clubs
Year: 2023
Certificate: pg
In 2021, a group of some of the world’s most successful football clubs announced an audacious plan to form a breakaway league that would see them leave their national leagues and compete just against each other. They thought it was a commercial masterstroke that would secure their futures forever. The rest of the footballing world, though, saw it as a betrayal that would destroy the game as they knew it…
Chockful of insider access to the big figures on both sides, this impressive four-part documentary series gets to the heart of the struggle as everyone from huge sporting bodies to groups of local fans lined up to kick off a fight for the soul of football. (One series)
Rylan: Football, Homophobia & Me
Rylan looks into homophobia in football in this one-off documentary
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Rylan grew up in London’s Stepney Green, and loves going to watch West Ham play. He doesn’t enjoy the homophobic abuse he’s experienced watching live football though, and uses this documentary to shine a worthwhile light on the issue.
He speaks to Rio Ferdinand, who talks about how difficult it is for people in the game to speak openly – which leads Rylan to reflect how extraordinary it still is that, at the time of filming, there has never been an openly gay Premier League player.
He does manage to speak to one who came out after retiring – Aston Villa’s Thomas Hitzlsperger – during an insightful, concise film that shows Rylan at his best, and will leave you with a fresh perspective on the topic. (45 minutes)
Together: Treble Winners
Behind the scenes of Manchester City’s historic 2022-23 football season
Year: 2024
Certificate: 12
Manchester City’s quest to emulate their local rivals Manchester United and win the three biggest club trophies – the FA Cup, the Premier League title and the Champions League – in a single season comes to life in this six-part documentary series.
From lashings of on-pitch drama to never-seen-before dressing room moments (just what does manager Pep Guardiola say to rouse his team at half- time?), from the training ground to the world’s biggest stadiums, this series covers pretty much everything. There are even behind-the-scenes moments where you’d swear that the players and staff have completely forgotten they’re being filmed. It’s a fascinating watch for almost all football fans, although Man Utd supporters might want to give it a miss. (Six episodes)
The Lionesses: A League Of Their Own Special
Comedians Katherine Ryan and Maisie Adam attempt to become Lionesses
Year: 2023
The sports game show A League Of Their Own is one of Sky’s homegrown hits, but it’s always been a male-dominated affair. That’s definitely not true of this challenge special in which Jill Scott, one of the Lionesses who helped England to glory at the Euro 2022 football tournament, shows a pair of comedians just what it takes to succeed on the world soccer stage.
Throwing comedians in at the deep end is a formula that’s worked for years on Sky (see Rob & Romesh Vs as the best example of that) and it proves to be a winner again here, as Katherine Ryan and Maisie Adam are ruthlessly put through their sporting paces by Scott. Expect some insight into the 2023 Women’s World Cup, too. (60 minutes)
Kalvin Phillips: The Road To City
A footballer’s rise from working-class roots to England international
Year: 2023
The footballer Kalvin Phillips has had quite a journey. He grew up on a working-class estate in Leeds and suffered a string of setbacks, including his father going to prison. That prison was over the road from the Leeds United training ground where Kalvin played, rising to become a star of his local team… and a local hero.
He went on to play for England and, in 2022, secured a reported £45 million transfer to Manchester City. City went on to win the treble the very next year, which was an incredible achievement, even if Phillips’s personal experience at the club has had its challenges.
This documentary tells a story of humble resilience in the face of setbacks and injury. It’s a heartening, detailed watch that hears from Kalvin, his family and other players as it tracks his life and choices. (90 minutes)
Good Rivals
Exploring the heated soccer rivalry between Mexico and the USA
Year: 2022
Certificate: 15
Described by one former player here as ‘the best rivalry in international soccer’ the clashes between the US and Mexican football teams produced some of the most heated games imaginable. For the best part of the 20th century, Mexico beat the USA easily, with the players and fans rejoicing in teaching their richer neighbour a lesson.
This heated three-part documentary series charts all that – with former players from both teams giving their insights – but it also looks at the moment in the 1990s when the balance shifted as the US football team began to win matches. It also examines the importance the games took on post-Donald Trump as political relations between the two countries involved went up in flames. (Three episodes)