Since 1930, FIFA has sanctioned an official documentary film for each World Cup.[1] Up to 2002, 35 mm film was used for the footage.[1]
| Year | Host country | Title | Narrator(s) | Refs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Switzerland | German Giants | Emil Fersil | ||
| 1958 | Sweden | Hinein! | Herbert Zimmermann Heribert Meisel Heinz Gottschalk | An UFA production with commentary in German. The title is German for "[It's] in!", often shouted after a goal is scored.[2] | |
| 1962 | Chile | Viva Brazil | John Fosberry Allan Grace | ||
| 1966 | England | Goal! | Nigel Patrick | The first World Cup film in colour; the 1966 television coverage was monochrome. | |
| 1970 | Mexico | The World at Their Feet | Patrick Allen | ||
| 1974 | Heading for glory | Joss Ackland | |||
| 1978 | Argentina | Copa 78 - O Poder do FutebolCampeones | Sérgio Chapelin Steve Hudson | Two versions of the 1978 official film exist, the first "Copa 78 - O Poder do Futebol" ("Cup '78: The Power of Football") was made by Brazilian directors Maurício Sherman and Victor di Mello in 1979 but was later withdrawn by FIFA because of its controversial content.[3] The film includes an interview with Rodolfo Galimberti, one of the leaders of the Montoneros guerrilla group and also made accusations that the Argentinian competition organisation committee had deliberately hindered Brazilian chances of success by tampering with the pitch at Mar del Plata.[4] The film is available on the Internet Archive.[5] The second film (Campeones, "Champions") was made by Worldmark Productions in 1991 and uses much of the footage shot in 1978, but omits all of the controversial interviews and commentary. This film also uses television footage of goals otherwise unrecorded by the cinematic cameras used in the original production, and also overdubs simulated crowd noise in several scenes. This version is now the only official 1978 film released by FIFA for broadcast or purchase. | |
| 1982 | Spain | G'olé! | Sean Connery | Title mixes "Goal" with the Spanish chant ¡Olé! | |
| 1986 | Mexico | HeroMemorias del Mundial de Futbol Mexico '86 | Michael Caine Domingo Alvarez | Available on YouTube | |
| 1990 | Italy | Soccer Shoot-Out | Edward Woodward | ||
| 1994 | United States | Two Billion Hearts | Liev Schreiber | ||
| 1998 | France | La Coupe de la Gloire | Sean Bean | Title is French for "The Cup of Glory." | |
| 2002 | South Korea Japan | Seven Games from Glory | Robert Powell | ||
| 2006 | Germany | The Grand Finale | Pierce Brosnan | Direct-to-video release. | |
| 2010 | South Africa | The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Film in 3D (also an official film: Match 64) | Ian Darke | 64-minute Blu-ray 3D with footage from the 25 matches broadcast in 3D, plus interviews.[6] [7] [8] [9] | |
| 2014 | Brazil | The Road to Maracana: The Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Film | No narrator | Available on Prime Video and YouTube.[10] | |
| 2018 | Russia | Dreams - The Official Film of the 2018 FIFA World Cup | Damian Lewis | Available on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube. | |
| 2022 | Qatar | Written in the StarsFIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: A Historic World Cup | Michael Sheen Francis Pardeilhan | Available on FIFA+. | |
| Captains of the World | No narrator | [11] [12] | Docuseries produced in a collaboration between FIFA+, Fulwell 73 and Netflix. Available on Netflix.[13] [14] [15] |
In addition to men's World Cup, FIFA has also produced, and published on YouTube,[16] a film about FIFA Women's World Cup, about 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[17]
| Year | Host country | Title | Narrator(s) | Refs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Germany | The Class of 2011 | Available on FIFA+ | ||
| 2015 | Canada | The Story of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup | Available on FIFA+ | ||
| 2019 | France | Le moment | Available on FIFA+ and on YouTube | ||
| 2023 | Australia New Zealand | Moments | Available on FIFA+ and on YouTube | ||