More sports documentaries are coming your way in 2024, ready to bring you the inside scoop on your favorite athletes, sports, and leagues.
Memorable moments in sports — championship wins, unexpected comebacks, underdog stories — are special because although they feel scripted, they never are. This is also why sports documentaries are widely loved. Behind all those movie-like moments are stories that go even deeper than the scores, medals, and results.
In 2023, there were a lot of new sports documentaries to get excited about. But in 2024, there will be even more. Here are just a few titles that you should already start watching out for.
Messi’s World Cup: Rise of a Legend
The 2022 FIFA World Cup Final was arguably the most exhilarating World Cup match this generation has ever witnessed. At the center of it all was the legend Lionel Messi.
It took Messi five World Cups to finally achieve the pinnacle of every footballer’s dream to lift the coveted trophy. In Apple’s upcoming documentary, Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend set to release in February 2024, fans will follow the football icon’s journey through all of his appearances in the tournament, culminating in the epic 2022 Final.
This will definitely be one of the most popular documentaries that 2024 will bring the sports world.
LaLiga x Netflix
If you can’t get enough of football, get ready because Netflix has teamed up with Spain’s LaLiga, to create a documentary series that showcases the exciting stories in one of the world’s biggest football leagues.
As of writing, this docu-series is still in production and does not yet have a title. But what we can expect is that it will revolve around the 2023-2024 LaLiga season, following a similar format to that of the popular series, Formula 1: Drive to Survive.
With personalities like Jude Bellingham, a tightly-packed set of teams vying for the title, and feuds between rival teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid, this is going to be one of the most highly anticipated documentaries in 2024.
Shattered Glass: A WNBPA Story
Basketball movies and shows always gain a lot of views, especially in the Philippines. Just think about The Last Dance and The Redeem Team. But in 2024, it’s time to take a look at the women’s side of basketball through the upcoming documentary, Shattered Glass: A WNBPA Story.
This new documentary is the first that will ever feature four MVPs from the WNBA — Jonquel Jones, Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, and Sheryl Swoopes — highlighting their journeys as athletes and how they became more than just sports icons but became voices for change and women empowerment.
99
If you don’t know about what happened to Manchester United in 1999, we suggest that you keep it that way and wait for Prime Video’s documentary series 99, set to release in 2024, and let the storytelling take you through the journey.
In 1999, Manchester United was chasing a historic treble — winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League. With iconic names including David Beckham, Gary Neville, Roy Keane, and many others, the team went through a lot of ups and downs and battled through the odds, all in the name of not just one success, but three. Watching this series will be almost like reliving that unbelievable year.
NASCAR x Netflix
If Netflix’s Drive to Survive turned you into a huge Formula 1 fan, maybe their NASCAR docu-series coming out in 2024 will put you onto the American side of motorsports.
Though we’re still waiting for more details on this one, what we do know is that this docuseries will focus on the 2023 NASCAR playoffs and championship race, highlighting the behind-the-scenes stories that people outside of the pitlanes rarely get to witness or hear about.
Could Netflix do for NASCAR what it did for Formula 1, bringing the sport to a whole new audience?
The Netflix Slam
Although this is not technically a documentary, The Netflix Slam is already one of the most highly-anticipated premieres for 2024.
The streaming platform will be hosting a tennis match between an icon and a rising star, as The Netflix Slam will put Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz on a court in Las Vegas, to be aired live on March 3, 2024. Though this is just an exhibition match, the two Spanish players represent the old and the new. But which side will win?
Which sports documentaries are you excited to watch in 2024?
Banner images from Thibault Penin on Unsplash and Lionel Messi on Instagram.
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