Film review: Copa 71 is an inspiring celebration of footballing pioneers

The film doesn’t neglect the dispiriting, century-old story of male attempts to suppress women’s football, but the emphasis is very much on what was achieved against all the odds.

Manager Harry Batt and the English women's football team in Mexico. Picture: Copa 71

According to FIFA, the first Women’s World Cup was officially played in the US in 1991, but Copa 71 (G) begs to differ.

A year after Brazil’s men won the 1970 World Cup at the Azteca Stadium before a crowd of 110,000, women’s teams from around the world arrived in Mexico, defying a FIFA ban and the institutionalised sexism of their Football Associations back home to play before adoring capacity crowds. 

“A fairytale, for better or worse,” reminisces the Italian playmaker Elena Schiavo. “Like stepping into a parallel universe,” says the England captain Carol Wilson.

Written and directed by James Erksine and Rachel Ramsay, the film doesn’t neglect the dispiriting, century-old story of male attempts to suppress women’s football (including a concerted effort to whitewash this tournament from history), but the emphasis is very much on what was achieved against all the odds.

Featuring interviews with former players from Denmark, England, Italy, Mexico, Argentina and many more, along with glorious footage of those superb athletes in their pomp, Copa 71 is an inspiring celebration of footballing pioneers who are only now receiving their due.

cinema release