COPA 71, also called Storyville: Copa '71: The Lost Lionesses, is a documentary movie that unearths the incredible story of the pioneering unofficial Women’s World Cup of football/soccer that was held in Mexico City in August 1971, but was written out of history because of the widespread misogyny and prejudice in the world of football.
The 2024 Women’s World Cup in Australia left audiences around the globe gripped, as stars such as England's Alessia Russo and Mary Earps plus Spanish star Jenni Hermoso were celebrated for their skill and talent. But what most fans of the sport probably won’t know is that back in 1971 a tournament took place that created similar fanfare. That year women’s football teams from England, Argentina, Mexico, France, Denmark and Italy gathered in Mexico’s two main stadiums for the second ever unofficial Women’s World Cup, a tournament that boasted crowds of 100,000 paying fans, extensive TV coverage and lavish sponsorship. But this was a time when women’s football was banned in many countries and while the players in Mexico were treated like rock stars by fans and the media alike, the event was dismissed by both the governing body and domestic football associations around the world and was therefore largely forgotten about — until now.
Featuring archive footage, this documentary film has been executive produced by tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams and the story is told by the pioneering women who competed in the tournament. It also features current women’s footballers such as US star Brandi Chastain. “We first heard about the tournament during the Covid lockdown but there was nothing on the internet about it,” says COPA 71’s Rachel Ramsay, who co-directed the film with James Erskine. “There wasn’t even a Wikipedia page. It had completely dropped out of the bottom of history. How could something this big just disappear?”
Made by New Black Films and Dogwoof productions, here’s everything you need to know about the film COPA 71 that will change the way we think about women’s sport forever…
COPA 71 release date
Storyville: Copa '71: The Lost Lionesses will be shown on BBC4 and BBCiPlayer in June 2024. We will update when this television launch date is confirmed.
COPA 71 was released in UK cinemas from Friday March 8 2024, having previously been shown in US cinemas from October 22 2023. We’re waiting to hear if it will then feature on a streaming service such as Prime Video, Netflix, Disney Plus or Apple TV+ and will update you on this page as soon as an announcement is made. Run time is 91 minutes.
Is there a trailer?
Yes there's an official trailer and a first look teaser trailer for COPA 71 which shows how the unofficial Women’s World Cup was a tournament of unprecedented scale but has since been hidden for 50 years. "We were never allowed to play football," says one former player. But the event paved the way for future female footballing stars. Take a look at boih the trailers below...
What happens in COPA 71
COPA 71 follows the unofficial Women’s World Cup that took place in Mexico City in 1971. Denmark became the tournament champions, winning the final 3–0 against hosts Mexico, in front of a 110,000 crowd.
The event attracted huge crowds and the players were worshipped by fans and the media alike. In fact, it still ranks as the best attended women’s sporting event of all time. Eventually injustice prevailed and those in control of the so-called beautiful game ensured that the tournament was written out of the sport’s history. The film details why it’s the biggest sporting event that most people will never have heard of.
