World Cup 2026 is here at last. It is the biggest football tournament on the planet, and fans of this site will be particularly interested in the exploits of South Korea, which qualified for the finals once again. With an expanded format, this will be the biggest World Cup finals ever, with 104 games being played over the next two months.
With all that football, you might think that there won’t be much time to fit in some TV and movies, but we have come up with a selection of titles to get you in the mood for the World Cup – ones that you can enjoy between games. So, you’ll be able to check out the online betting sites of New Hampshire, catch the latest game, and then relax with a football TV show!
Our World Cup collection is a mixture of dramas, reality shows and documentaries, all revolving around the subject of football in its many forms. We can’t guarantee that South Korea will lift the famous trophy this summer, but we can vouch for the standard of these shows.
Sonsational
Widely considered to be the best footballer to come from South Korea, and possibly the whole of Asia, Son Heung-min is now taking the US by storm as he plays for LAFC. He will now be hoping to continue that American dream this summer as he leads the national side in its quest to win the World Cup.
This documentary was made back in 2021, so the most recent seasons are obviously not covered, but it does follow his career from his childhood in his homeland to his first professional contract in Germany, through to him establishing himself as a global star while in the English Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur. You may already know the story, but this documentary has great archive footage and will get you all excited for what Son might achieve at the World Cup.
Dream
Inspired by true events, this 2023 movie stars Park Seo-joon as a footballer who is forced to coach the national team competing in the Homeless World Cup. He is initially skeptical and annoyed at his punishment, especially as some of his charges have never even played before. But as the movie goes on, he begins to warm to his players and the role.
As Park sets about coaching his team of misfits, he becomes something of a TV star, thanks to the documentary being filmed of the process, and ends up receiving an attractive offer to leave the role and re-enter the world of professional football. We won’t give anything more away so as to allow you to enjoy this comedy drama, which stays just about the right side of “feel-good”.
The Game of Their Lives
South Korea has become something of a World Cup staple, making its 10th consecutive appearance at the tournament this summer. North Korea have been far less successful, however, and last qualified for the finals in 2010. But it is the nation’s first appearance, back in 1966, that forms the basis of this 2002 documentary.
Unknown to the rest of the world at the time, the North Korea team sensationally beat Italy in its final group match to become the first Asian team to ever progress to the quarterfinals. Director Daniel Gordon travels to North Korea to meet and talk to the seven surviving members of the team, who were later allowed to fly back to England and revisit the stadiums and places where they became unlikely global stars.
A Barefoot Dream
Like many sports movies, A Barefoot Dream is based on a true story, attempting to capture the real-life drama that football can evoke. Park Hee-soon stars as a former player who moves to East Timor and decides to make a fortune selling football boots. That idea falls flat, but he soon becomes a national hero when he takes up a role coaching local kids.
This heartwarming drama is based on the real-life exploits of former South Korean player Kim Shin-hwan, who made the same move outlined in the film. Some of the best sports movies shy away from the global stars of the game and concentrate on the underdog stories that all football fans understand – and this definitely falls within this category.
The Gentlemen’s League
Also known as Let’s Play Soccer, this reality show has now completed four seasons, all following Ahn Jung-hwan as he attempts to coach a football team to greater and greater heights. Ahn is more than just a TV personality, of course, as he is also a former footballer who represented South Korea at three World Cup finals during his playing career.
The first season brought together soccer legends to challenge younger teams, while the next edition followed stars of other sports as they attempted to take on the best amateur teams in the country. Season three saw the team travel the world, and the most recent shows followed four teams playing against each other for the chance to win tickets for games at World Cup 2026.
While none of these movies or shows can compare to the excitement a South Korean World Cup triumph would produce, they are all perfectly good options for something to watch in between games this summer to keep you in the mood. Televised football doesn’t always hit the mark if it is not the actual games themselves, but this collection should keep you interested, even after the World Cup ends in July.