Netflix's New Love of Women's Soccer

The 1999 Women's World Cup is, without argument, the most influential moment in women's sports. It solidified the spot for women's soccer on modern TV guides; it put female athletics on the map in a time when the world was dramatically changing. Even today, in 2026, we've watched another year of an unsuccessful U.S. Men's team and the United States Women's Soccer Federation has stayed the main powerhouse for U.S. Soccer. Not only did the 1999 women's team win, but they inspired millions, if not billions, of young female athletes. The Women of 1999 Abby Wambach, Brianna Scurry, and Mia Hamm, are not just names; they are commonplace heroes. But there hasn't been a 1999 World Cup film, even with all of the commotion that surrounded the win. That is until now.

Titled The 99'ers, the Netflix film has concluded filming for the project as of June 2026. The film is based on the widely recognized book by Jere Longman titled The Girls of Summer. The book was published in 2000 and focuses on the final game of the tournament. The story shifts its focus between the Chinese team and the United States team. As the match continues, the time between stories gets smaller until it's basically a play-by-play of the second overtime and then of Chastain's penalty kick.

There's been quite a lot of commotion online as a result of the actresses posting about the film being wrapped. The actress Isabella Furman, who plays the all-time scoring defender Joy Fawcett in the film, posted a carousel of behind-the-scenes photos with the caption:

"That’s a wrap on the #99ers ❤️⚽️🥅🏆 kicked some balls, fell in love with incredible friends and made a freaking movie."

Besides some very cute photos, the post gave fans the first glimpse of the iconic sports movie.

In addition to Furman, Emily Bader, known for her role in My Lady Jane, will play Mia Hamm. The biggest name on the cast list is Zoey Deutch, who is set to play the woman behind the win, Marla Messing.

Messing was not a slotted eleven, but there was a lot that went into the 1999 win that involved intense off-the-field turmoil that every player had to live through. The stage on which the 1999 World Cup was held increased the momentum surrounding Women's soccer, allowing more doors to open for players. More energy, more viewers.

This was partly due to choices made regarding how the event was going to be held. Messing was the chief organizer of the 1999 World Cup, and even though women's soccer wasn't a major event at the time, she decided to host the games in large stadiums such as the Rose Bowl, which could fit approximately 100,000 people. Even though there were not going to be 100,000 bodies in the seats, legendary moments are hosted in large arenas, and Messing was going to make this a legendary moment. Choosing larger venues allowed for women's soccer to be taken seriously in the stands, but also from each viewer's home.

Not only will Netflix be producing the 99'ers, but the streaming service also holds the exclusive streaming rights to the Women's World Cup in 2027 (held in Brazil) and in 2031. The platform, while often not a supporter of the movie theater business, seems to be a champion for women's sports, which is a loss I'll take any day. The romanticization of sports moments in films is often reserved for male victories: well-known, iconic films like Rocky, Field of Dreams, Moneyball, White Men Can't Jump, Friday Night Lights all focus on men. Even Secretariat had his theater time. This does not mean that femme-focused sports movies don't exist; Bend It Like Beckham is an iconic film that highlights the differences for women and men in sport, but also culturally, how women must battle traditional ideals for women in order to pursue a career in sport. But with hope, The 99'ers won't feature the patriarchy of sport we know and don't love, and instead just focus on the girls.

But it would be naive to say that there was no backlash following the display of unbridled, celebratory excitement. Chastain was subject to controversy from multiple sides who said that her reaction took away from the sport itself. It is not stated whether the 99'ers will touch on any of the controversy that surrounded the conclusion of the penalty shootout. Simultaneously, many have commented on this moment in a positive light:

"In the six seconds it took the first of Chastain’s jubilant teammates to sprint from the halfway line to swarm her in celebration, she found time to turn an entire sport on its head."

The weight of this scene and others, will lie on the shoulders of Nicole Kassell. Kassell, known for her work on Sirens, has not given the public a lot to digest regarding the new drama besides her raw emotions in an Instagram post.

Even though it has been discussed that, similarly to The Girls of Summer, the film will focus on that final zero-to-zero match, there is a lot of athletic greatness to cover in that match alone. Even if Netflix decides to take on that final match, there would be enough iconic sports content to produce a generation full of soccer films and future stars.

The 99'ers shaped multiple generations of female do-ers, but not of the same brand, shape, or font. That World Cup victory birthed soccer stars of different styles and personalities such as Alex Morgan, Christen Press, and Megan Rapinoe. So how did they do it, and will Netflix touch on those parts? Or just the golden victories?

There were a multitude of different personalities on that team, many players that were world champions several times over as well. There is a lot in this movie that could be covered, and there is a lot that will most likely be left out. Women's sports are a lot of things, but they will never be pretty, classy, or put together. Heroic and romantic? Yes. But messy.

I truly hope we see all of the parts of this team. The good, the bad, the honest.