Copa 71 review: 'incendiary account' of the women's 1971 World Cup in Mexico
Film, with Serena and Venus Williams as executive producers, can be added to the 'list of great football documentaries'
From "raucous crowds" and "widespread television coverage" to a "semi-final ending in a full blown punch-up", this story "needs to be seen to be believed".
That was how Kathryn Batte described the 1971 Women's World Cup football tournament in Mexico in the Daily Mail. And Kevin Maher in The Times called it an "incendiary account" that must be added to "the list of great football documentaries".
"Copa 71" details the tournament through archive footage and contemporary interviews with the players. "It's a joy to listen to their memories", said Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian, including how they were "badly treated afterwards by the mediocre menfolk".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
England, now known as the "Lost Lionesses", had to compete in the tournament as the "British Independents" because in 1921 the Football Association (FA) had effectively banned women's football. It had famously stated that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not be encouraged", and that ban remained in place for 50 years.
Six national teams took part in the 1971 tournament – England, Mexico, Argentina, France, Italy and winners Denmark. It was funded and promoted independently and "defiantly held outside Fifa's pompous auspices", said The Guardian. "The capacity crowds" – of more than 100,000 – and the "euphoric atmosphere were staggering."
The contrast between the warm welcome the players were given in Mexico and their reception back in their own countries couldn't have been greater. "Every team returned home to a 'sense of nothingness'," said the Daily Mail, with "the tournament erased from consciousness". England's players were banned again by the FA, "those under 16 for three months and those over 16 for six months". Their manager, Harry Batt, was banned for life.
Serena and Venus Williams are executive producers of the film: "two of the greatest female athletes of all time" who want "to promote stories which deepen our understanding of the history of women's sport", co-director Rachel Ramsay told the BBC.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Many people told Ramsay that the concept of a sports film without one winner that everyone's rooting for wouldn't work. "I think the winner is the tournament itself, the fact that it happened, and the shared experience of those women together is a huge part of the film," she said.
Adrienne Wyper has been a freelance sub-editor and writer for The Week's website and magazine since 2015. As a travel and lifestyle journalist, she has also written and edited for other titles including BBC Countryfile, British Travel Journal, Coast, Country Living, Country Walking, Good Housekeeping, The Independent, The Lady and Woman’s Own.
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
Crossword: October 26, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
The 5 best TV shows about the mobThe Week Recommends From the show that launched TV’s golden age to a Batman spin-off, viewers can’t get enough of these magnificent mobsters
-
Dry skin, begone! 8 products to keep your skin supple while traveling.The Week Recommends Say goodbye to dry and hello to hydration
-
Book reviews: ‘Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife’ and ‘Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong With Baseball and How to Fix It’Feature Gertrude Stein’s untold story and Jane Leavy’s playbook on how to save baseball
-
5 of the best kid-friendly scary moviesThe Week Recommends Hardcore horror is for grown-ups only, but light scares can be startling fun for the whole family
-
7 of the best narco TV series of all timeThe Week Recommends From Colombia to the California suburbs, every drug kingpin has a familiar and tragic trajectory
-
9 inviting bookstores ready for you to attack their shelvesThe Week Recommends Your new favorite book awaits
-
Tim Robinson falls out of a chair, chefs compete for Michelin stars and Martin Scorsese gets the documentary treatment in October TVthe week recommends This month's new television releases include ‘The Chair Company,’ ‘Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars’ and ‘Mr. Scorsese’
-
Frankenstein comes to life, the Alabama prison system is exposed and Rose Byrne goes full Crazy Mom in October moviesthe week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘The Alabama Solution’ and ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’