The story of COPA 71 is told by the pioneering women who participated. Built from an archive unseen for fifty years, this is the extraordinary story of the 1971 Women’s Football World Cup, a tournament witnessed by record crowds and written out of sporting history – until now.
Dogwoof announced today that Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine’s inspiring documentary COPA 71 will be released in UK cinemas starting 8th March.
It is August 1971. Football teams from England, Argentina, Mexico, France, Denmark, and Italy have gathered at Mexico City’s sun-drenched Azteca Stadium. The tournament’s scale is monumental: lavish sponsorship, extensive TV coverage, merchandise on every street corner, and crowds of over 100,000 roaring fans turn this historic stadium into a cauldron of noise match after match. A fawning media treats the players like rock stars. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the greatest moments in international football history. But this is a tournament unlike any that has come before. The players on the pitch are all women. And, likely, you’ve never even heard of it. This is Copa ’71, the unofficial Women’s World Cup. Dismissed by both the governing body and domestic football associations worldwide, this event has been sidelined in history until now.
An astonishing film that sheds light on the history of women’s sport and the injustices women were subjected to, COPA 71 will be released in UK cinemas by Dogwoof from 8th March 2024.
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