‘Cue air punches and tears’: why Next Goal Wins is my feelgood movie

Continuing the series where writers pick their go-to mood-lifting films is a look back to the inspiring sports documentaryIt feels apt following a 2026 World Cup draw featuring tiny island debutants Curacao and Cape Verde to revisit Next Goal Wins, an underdog story I adopted upon first watch as if it were a team I would loyally follow for the rest of my life.The documentary chronicles the world’s (once) worst soccer team, American Samoa, and their valiant efforts to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, but to label it merely a soccer film is to overlook a perfect study of remarkable characters, circumstances and a lesser seen island life. You don’t need to be a sports fan to be uplifted here. Continue reading...