Next Goal Wins (2023)

NEXT GOAL WINS

Michael Fassbender Oscar Kightley

Opens New Year's Day

Foreground: The true story of the American Samoa soccer team who had already fielded some of the worst line-ups in World Cup qualification history when they appointed a new coach for the 2014 event.

Background: New Zealand-born filmmaker Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok and Hunt for the Wilderpeople) used his clout in Hollywood to get this feel-good comedy made after watching a BBC doco about the ill-fated squad. The casting of the semi-retired Fassbender is a major coup.

Close Up: The American Samoan team's worst-ever performance came in 2001 when our very own Socceroos trounced a befuddled line-up 31-0 (a world record for an international soccer fixture). Check out the highlights on YouTube (Archie Thompson scores a lazy 13 off his own boot!).