Executive produced by Serena and Venus Williams, the documentary “Copa 71” tells the forgotten story from 1971 when Mexico City held the unofficial Women’s World Cup, an event subsequently buried by FIFA.
Release Date
Directed by Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine, Copa 71 world premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, and opens in theaters / on VOD on June 21, 2024.
Synopsis
It is August 1971. Soccer teams from England, Argentina, Mexico, France, Denmark, and Italy have gathered at Mexico City’s sun-drenched Azteca Stadium. The scale of the tournament is monumental: lavish sponsorship, extensive TV coverage, merchandise on every street corner, and crowds of over 100,000 roaring fans turn this historic stadium into a cauldron of noise match after match. A fawning media treat the players like rock stars. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the greatest moments in international soccer history. But this is a tournament unlike anything that’s happened before. The players on the pitch are all women. And it’s likely you’ve never even heard of it. This is Copa ’71, the unofficial Women’s World Cup. Dismissed by both the governing body and domestic soccer associations around the world, this event had been sidelined in history.
Until now.
Director Rachel Ramsey said, “Telling the story of these remarkable female sporting pioneers has been an incredibly emotional journey. We hope it excites audiences as much as it did us to make it.”
Reviews
The Guardian review gave the film a perfect 5 of 5 stars, writing, “Copa 71 is a revolutionary political parable that goes beyond football. A different world is possible; not only that, a different world was not just possible but did in fact exist. But the narrative was erased. Well, it’s been restored by this bracing and thoroughly absorbing film.”
Timeout review gave the ‘eye-opening documentary’ 4 of 5 stars, wrote, “Told through long-buried broadcast footage, newspaper clippings and interviews with players from various participating nations, the ensuing story is fascinating, and at times genuinely shocking, viewing for anyone unfamiliar with the oft-maligned history of women’s football.”
Official Trailer
Watch the official trailer for Copa 71