Ajay Devgn's Maidaan, John Abraham's Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal & More Bollywood Films Based On Football That You Can Enjoy During FIFA World Cup 2026 Fever

In the arena of Bollywood, sports films are a plenty. However, very rarely have filmmakers dared to venture into movies with a backdrop of football. With the ongoing World Cup mania, we’ve managed to surprisingly find a few. Are all of them earth-shatteringly good? Sadly, no, with one exception. Are they a one-time watch? Yes. So grab your snacks and enjoy the game

Bollywood style!

Maidaan (2024)

Director: Amit Sharma

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Priyamani, Gajraj Rao

Ajay Devgn plays football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, whose coaching prowess helped team India win its only gold medal in Football at the Asian Games in 1962. The film has a very solid story based on a real life triumph. However, it has its share of highs and lows, and its Ajay’s performance which saves the film from being a complete yawn fest.

Jhund (2022)

Director: Nagraj Manjule

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ankush Gedam, Akash Thosar, Rinku Rajguru & others

Amitabh Bachchan plays the lead role in this biographical sports drama based on the life of Vijay Barse, the founder of NGO Slum Soccer. A decent watch, it is very inspiring to see how lives of slum kids were changed when a coach leads them to channel their “talents” into football.

Tu Hai Mera Sunday (2016)

Director: Milind Dhaimade

Cast: Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami, Vishal Malhotra, Avinash Tiwary, Rasika Dugal

Five friends play football every Sunday at a beach in Mumbai. One day they are told that they can no longer do so. This film is a slice of life drama on how they try to find a venue to continue their passion for the game in a city where space is limited and people are unlimited. 

Inshallah, Football (2010) – unreleased documentary

Director: Ashvin Kumar

Cast: Basharat Baba, Bashir Baba, Juan Marcos Troia

A Kashmiri teen, whose father is a terrorist, dreams to play football in Brazil. Critically aclaimed globally, the film couldn’t see the light of the day in India due to certain objections by the censor board. Produced by Jaaved Jaaferi, the film (ironically) went on to win a National Award for Best Film on Social Issues.

Goal (2007)

Director: Vivek Agnihotri

Cast: John Abraham, Bipasha Basu, Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani

Remember the item song Billo Rani? Well, unfortunately, that’s all one can remember about this film. It is about how a British lad, played by John Abraham, leads his football team Southall Football Club to victory (yawn) after several twists and turns. Even John-Bipasha’s sizzling chemistry couldn’t elevate this one. But then what can one expect when the captain of the ship had no idea what he was doing. Strictly average.

Published on: Wednesday, July 08, 2026, 10:03 PM IST