What to Watch for World Cup Weekend
We’re rounding up the best shows and movies to watch as the 2026 World Cup final finally arrives.
World Cup madness draws to a close on Sunday, July 19, after 104 matches between 48 teams over 38 days in 16 cities across North America. Even if you’re not a sports person, it’s been hard not to get caught up in the insanity. Between the newly added hydration breaks, the expanded roster, and the continent-wide location, the World Cup finally felt genuinely global for the first time this century.
For Anglophiles, the excitement took on an extra dimension after England beat Mexico in the Round of 16. Even though the club eventually fell to Argentina in the closing minutes of the semi-finals, it’s the farthest the team has gone in decades, and most likely ensures that stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham will be handed their OBEs sooner rather than later.
England still has one more game to play on Saturday, July 18, battling it out against France for third place in what is considered the bitterest outcome for most players – still having to fight for it without a chance of actually winning the whole shebang. For those who will stoically tune in, we’ve got a little gallery of all the memes Telly Visions has posted over the last month for your use on this World Cup Final Weekend.
However, for those of you who would prefer not to, who are tired of it forever coming home but never arriving, below is a list of alternate viewing options for the weekend.
What To Watch for World Cup Weekend
The Beautiful Game
Can sports change the world? That is the question at the heart of The Beautiful Game, based on the true story of the Homeless World Cup, which began in 2003. The film stars Bill Nighy (The Man Who Fell to Earth) as Mal, the coach and manager of England’s homeless soccer team, and Michael Ward (Top Boy) as talented striker Vinny, who might be good enough to give them a real chance of winning. A heartwarming tale for those who need more than another chorus of “Wonderwall” to lift their spirits.
The Beautiful Game is streaming on Netflix.
Welcome to Wrexham
Most of the TV series focused on football/soccer (and sports in general) are documentaries and docuseries, each narrowly focused on a specific angle, be it a historic team, a certain high-profile player, or a particular season. That makes lists like this hard to write, since you either have to include all or none. However, one stands apart from the rest: Welcome to Wrexham. Technically, the series is about the culture clash of a longtime club bought by an American and a Canadian. But in practice, the FX series has become more about how football culture must change to succeed in the 21st century. Five seasons in, you won’t believe the Cinderella story that’s come out of it.
Welcome to Wrexham Seasons 1 through 5 are streaming on Disney+/Hulu. The series is currently renewed through Season 8.
Twenty Twenty Six
The follow-up to the London Olympics-set parody Twenty Twelve and its successful spinoff W1A, the World Cup satire Twenty Twenty Six brings back Hugh Bonneville as Ian Fletcher, The Man Who Always Fails Up, alongside David Tennant narrating Fletcher’s amazing ability to ruin whatever he’s assigned to do. Set in Miami – perhaps the worst of the venues for British visitors – the series has all the laughs viewers need to make the pain of loss sting a little bit less.
Twenty Twenty Six is streaming on BritBox and is currently free on Tubi as well.
Ted Lasso
We’re still not fully convinced Ted Lasso shouldn’t have just ended when it originally planned to, at the end of the atrocious Season 3. (No one at Apple TV cares what we think when there are eyeballs to be brought in.) However, while we currently hope Season 4 will be a return to form, we can wholeheartedly at least recommend the show’s first two seasons, which are still some of the most wholesome sports viewing we’ve ever seen.
Ted Lasso Seasons 1 through 3 are streaming on Apple TV. Season 4 debuts on Friday, August 14, 2026.
The English Game
In the wake of his Downton Abbey success, Julian Fellowes cast a wide net to find his next hit series, writing and producing Belgravia, The Gilded Age, and The English Game in the span of a few years. The Gilded Age may have won the war, but viewers should not sleep on one-season-wonder The English Game, an 1870s-set period drama about the rise of the sport’s popularity, why England claims to have invented the sport in the first place, and what it was like in a world where it always came home.
The English Game is streaming on Netflix.
Bend It Like Beckham
Both Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra have moved into their crime-solving eras in Black Doves and D.I. Ray, respectively. But the 2002 film that made them famous, Bend It Like Beckham, still holds up a quarter of a century on. As Jesminder Bhamra (Nagra) and Jules Paxton (Knightley), their determination to chase professional careers in football despite their parents’ wishes is as timeless a story as it was when it first debuted in theaters.
Bend It Like Beckham is streaming on Disney+/Hulu.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff match between England and France airs and streams on Saturday, July 18, at 5 p.m. ET. The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina will air and stream at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19, 2026, on Fox and Tubi.
(We will cheer for Spain. Because Chef Jose Andres deserves nice things.)
Join the conversation on our Discord server. Sign up today!
