The 20 Best Football Soccer Movies Ever Made, Ranked

It is impossible to guarantee that a film will not affect your favorite sport, whether it is an action adventure or an inspirational story. Sports lover has come on to the right page because the list of best football and soccer lover movies are waiting especially for them.

Unfortunately, football is no exception to this rule. From inspirational stories and team-based, rivaling sports films to stories loosely based on actual events and specific players, there is a wealth of movies about football that help to provide insight into the game and its periods.

We bring to you some of the best football movies of all time. This list includes various types of films, including action-adventure and inspirational sports movies, all gathered for football fans.

20. Friday Night Lights (2004)

Director: Peter Berg
Writer: David Aaron Cohen
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Jay Hernandez, Derek Luke, Lucas Black, Amber Heard
IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 93%

Friday Night Lights is a drama film directed by Peter Berg. It is about preparing for and playing high school football in rural East Texas.

It falls to Permian High School football coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) to inspire his football team after Boobie Miles (Derek Luke) sustains an injury.

At the movie’s beginning, Coach Eric Taylor has been coaching high school football for six years; after that, he becomes a husband and a father. The first time his team wins their district championship is when his son Derek joins him on-field to get ready to tackle one of the opposing players before it gets too far out of hand.

19. The Waterboy (1998)

Director: Frank Coraci
Writer: Adam Sandler, Alan Pasqua, Tim Herlihy
IMDb Ratings: 6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

The Waterboy is a 1998 sports comedy film directed by Frank Coraci and starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and Dennis Farina. It is based on the 1994 novel of the same name by Peter G. Brown.

The plot tells of high school football player Bobby Boucher, who joins his town’s water polo team, trying to earn enough money to send his younger brother Joey to a prestigious football camp to have the chance at making it into college. The film also stars Fairuza Balk, Henry Winkler, Jerry Reed, and Rob Schneider.

18. Go, Tigers! (2001)

Director: Kenneth A. Carlson
Writer: Kenneth A. Carlson
Cast: Dave Irwin, Ellery Moore, Joe Paterno, Danny Studer
IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 87%

A documentary film based on the Tigers of Massillon, Ohio, Go Tigers! is an excellent depiction of the spirit of high school sports. This football movie indeed shows what it means to play football. Although it’s just a game for some, it’s an emotion.

Three teenage stars emerge throughout the season and are forced to shoulder the community’s and their teammates’ weight as they prepare for an uncertain future. High Definition footage was used to capture the on-location shooting in Ohio.

17. The Replacements (2000)

Director: Howard Deutch
Writer: Vince McKeown
Cast:
IMDb Ratings: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

The Replacements is a 2000 film about a band of the same name that found success in the early 1980s but had to disband due to one member being jailed for drug possession.

Writer and director, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film, is set on New Year’s Eve, 1980, just weeks before their farewell performance: among them lead singer Will (Lance Bangs), who, despite his many problems with drugs, work, and relationships, ends up performing on stage for what may be his last hurrah.

16. Concussion (2015)

Director: Peter Landesman
Writer: Peter Landesman
Cast: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, David Morse
IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

Faulk’s situation and how NFL players can get seriously injured without feeling any pain. In this film, Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, who plays by his rules as he fights big business to save players from permanent damage.

The movie opens up with Dr. Omalu being introduced to the NFL. He performs several experiments and tests on players to develop a new helmet for them. Unfortunately, while he is working in Pittsburgh, Dr. Omalu and others discover that playing professional football causes brain damage at an extreme rate.

15. The Blind Side (2009)

Director: John Lee Hancock
Writer: John Lee Hancock
Cast: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head, Lily Collins
IMDb Ratings: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

“The Blind Side” examines Michael Oher’s journey from the Memphis projects to the NFL.

Michael Oher was an unprivileged and largely overlooked football prospect until he found a mentor in Sean Tuohy, whose family took him under their wing.

When Tuohy sees what Michael is capable of on the football field and how poorly his peers treat him, he decides to ensure that no one else will have to endure what Mike has suffered.

What makes this one of the best football movies is its authenticity and the fact that actual incidents inspire it.

14. Varsity Blues

Director: Brian Robbins
Writer: W. Peter Iliff
Cast: James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight, Paul Walker, Ron Lester, Scott Caan
IMDb Ratings: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 43%

In the novel Varsity Blues, a Texas football team’s backup quarterback is selected to take the team’s place at the helm after the star quarterback suffers an injury. This football film seeks to balance a sober assessment of high school athletics and the pressures they produce and whipped cream bikinis and stripper English professors.

You’ve found the perfect football movie if you have a wicked sense of humor and like your sensuality with a little bit of football.

13. Rudy (1993)

Director: David Anspaugh
Writer: Angelo Pizzo
Cast: Sean Astin, Ned Beatty, Charles S. Dutton, Lili Taylor, Robert Prosky
IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

Since childhood, Rudy has heard that he is too little to play college football. Nevertheless, he is adamant about beating the odds and realizing his dream of playing football for Notre Dame.

Rudy aspired to play football at Notre Dame despite growing up in a steel mill town where most residents worked. There were merely a few issues. He had below-average academic performance and mediocre athletic ability and was only half as big as the other players.

However, he possessed the motivation and passion of five people, and he had his sights set on joining the group.

12. Invincible (2006)

Director: Director
Writer: Brad Gann
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway
IMDb Ratings: 7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

Invincible is a 2006 superhero film directed by Douglas Aarniokoski. The film tells the story of Vincent, an older man given superpowers through a secret government program, who takes on a harrowing mission to save the world after an evil supervillain threatens to destroy Earth.

The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed over $300 million worldwide at the box office.

11. Jerry Maguire (1996)

Director: Cameron Crowe
Writer: Cameron Crowe
Cast: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston
IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 14%

If you like sports, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the movie Jerry Maguire. For those who don’t know, this is a classic story about how one man turns around his career and life.

Jerry has been a sports agent for years, but he’s fed up with all the money-hungry players he represents and decides to start a new company that puts loyalty first.

10. Big Fan (2009)

Director: Robert Siegel
Writer: Robert Siegel
Cast: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Rapaport, Marcia Jean Kurtz
IMDb Ratings: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 86%

This film is about a young boy who got super excited when he discovered his favorite baseball player, “Chapman,” was in the next town.

Almost immediately after setting up his campsite and awaiting Chapman’s arrival, Chapman shows up in a helicopter. The boy is so excited to see him that he bathes while Chapman arrives.

9. Brian’s Song (1971)

Director: Buzz Kulik
Writer: William Blinn, Gale Sayers, Al Silverman
Cast: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden, Bernie Casey, Shelley Fabares
IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

In 1971, a film was released about an athlete that faced depression and cancer. However, the story focuses on the effect of fame on him and his family. It is one of the most touching films ever made in Hollywood.

The film follows Brian Piccolo, who, after playing for his hometown team Chicago Bears, from 1958-71, has to retire due to a massive back injury and then has to deal with depression and early-onset leukemia.

8. Semi-Tough (1977)

Director: Michael Ritchie
Writer: Walter Bernstein, Dan Jenkins, Ring Lardner Jr.
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh, Robert Preston
IMDb Ratings: 5.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

The essay “Semi-Tough” is a film without punctuation. This is because it’s so abstract that it’s impossible to tell what is happening.

So instead, they focus on the mundane tasks of everyday life and, in doing so, create a conversation about man’s machine-influenced world: What would happen if one aspect was taken away?

7. Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 (2008)

Director: Kevin Rafferty
Writer: Kevin Rafferty
Cast: Don Gillis, Bruce Freeman, Ted Skowronski, Ted Livingston, John Ignacio
IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 79%

In a game that has since become known as The Game of Two Halves, #2 Yale went up 22-0 to start the game against rival and Ivy League foe Harvard.

However, Harvard tied the game at halftime with two touchdowns and a field goal. The rest of the game was terrific. Harvard scored four touchdowns in the second half but still couldn’t get a win.

6. We Are Marshall (2006)

Director: McG
Writer: Jamie Linden, Cory Helms
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Anthony Mackie, David Strathairn, Ian McShane
IMDb Ratings: 7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

If you love movies about sports, this is a must-see. It’s an Oscar winner for Best Film Editing, and it also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song: “The Prayer.” The song, written by Bono and The Edge from U2, is famously played at many pivotal moments in the film.

This is a true story about a college football coach that took over at Marshall University after their entire team was killed in 1970. They had to build the team back up again with players that were recruited or walk-ons.

5. All The Right Moves (1983)

Director: Michael Chapman
Writer: Michael Kane, Pat Jordan
Cast: Tom Cruise, Lea Thompson, Craig T. Nelson, Charles Cioffi, Gary Graham
IMDb Ratings: 5.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

In 1983, the world introduced a new TV sitcom that would change Saturday night viewing forever. It incorporated elements of classical farce, wordplay, and slapstick and soon became one of the most popular TV shows ever.

It also set a new standard in production values and audience expectations while redefining the sitcom genre entirely. That seminal show was ALF.

4. Any Given Sunday (1999)

Director: Oliver Stone
Writer: Daniel Pyne, John Logan, Oliver Stone
Cast: Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz, James Woods, Jamie Foxx
IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

Any Given Sunday is a 1999 American football film directed by Oliver Stone, starring Al Pacino and Sean Penn as rival football coaches. It also stars Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, James Woods, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Dennis Quaid, Nicky Katt, and John C. Reilly.

3. Remember The Titans (2000)

Director: Boaz Yakin
Writer: Gregory Allen Howard
Cast: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Donald Faison
IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

It’s not always easy to remember the Titans. The story has faded from the collective consciousness, rarely being talked about among students and teachers at schools.

Yet, while this is a film that has been largely forgotten, it still stands out as one of the best films in American history and deserves some spotlight time.

In the early 1970s, Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), a no-nonsense football coach at T. C. Williams High School, is challenged with unifying Black and White football players. Based on actual events, the movie Remember the Titans recounts Herman Boone’s journey. In addition, the film imparts a few lessons to us.

2. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Director: David O. Russell
Writer: David O. Russell, Matthew Quick
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher
IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

The Silver Linings Playbook is a post-recession comedy-drama film directed and written by American filmmaker David O. Russell.

The film depicts an ex-football player wrongly convicted of robbery, commitment to a mental institution, and subsequent escape with the help of an optimistic psychiatrist.

1. North Dallas Forty (1979)

Director: Ted Kotcheff
Writer: Peter Gent, Frank Yablans, Ted Kotcheff
Cast: Nick Nolte, Charles Durning, Mac Davis, Dayle Haddon, Bo Svenson
IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 78%

The late 1970s American professional football world is the setting of the 1979 American sports drama North Dallas Forty, starring Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, and G. D. Spradlin.

A vicious parody of American professional football in which a veteran pass-uniqueness catcher and refusal to fit in with the team’s “family” are fiercely loathed by his strict coaches.

The National Football League declined to participate in the film’s creation, claiming it might have been too accurate. Instead, it was adapted from the book by Peter Gent, a former NFL player. This satirical comedy-drama, which is more about hedonistic living than play-action passes, might be the only thing crazier than real football life.

We hope the abovementioned sports can fulfill your search for “best football movies.” The list includes a few films with an underdog story that could not gain much attention.

These are not only football fan favorites but even those looking for some inspiring story.