Pulse-quickening archival footage and revelatory new interviews chart the larger-than-life ascent of the charismatic “King of Soccer,” who led Brazil—then in the throes of political turmoil that would culminate in a U.S.-backed military dictatorship—to three World Cup championships.

A group of women attempt to infiltrate a men’s-only football stadium during a World Cup qualifying game in Palme d’Or–winning director Jafar Panahi’s sharply observed social comedy, which uses humor to expose the often absurd position of women in Iranian society.

Directed by longtime collaborators Daniel Schmidt and Gabriel Abrantes, this dazzlingly original NYFF56 selection about a chiseled fútbol star who flees the public eye is a perversely pleasurable sendup of Brexit, genetic science, and the ongoing refugee crises.

Hong Kong screen legend Stephen Chow directs and co-stars in this high-octane, cult-favorite genre mashup, in which a down-and-out footballer joins forces with an idealistic kung fu master in hopes of leading their ragtag team of Shaolin monks to victory on the pitch.

The latest documentary feature from Romanian New Wave master Corneliu Porumboiu is a hilarious and politically incisive portrait of a bureaucrat who dreams of radically revising the rules of the beautiful game, in a bid to revolutionize the world’s most popular sport.

Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum headline this millennial rom-com classic, a Clueless-style update of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night that follows a talented teen athlete who sets out to prove herself by joining an all-boys high school soccer team—while disguised as her twin brother.