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Spains 1970s womens football pioneers star in new documentary: She Shoots, She Scores
World Cup 2026 kicks off amid ticket price outrage and fan access crisis
Spain’s footballing pioneers, a generation of women who blazed trails decades before La Roja’s 2023 World Cup triumph, are to receive their cinematic due in a new documentary released today. The film, titled *She Shoots, She Scores*, recounts how an unofficial Spanish women’s team toured the country in the 1970s and 1980s, staging matches against Italy and Portugal while defying the sporting establishment to promote the women’s game.
The documentary draws on newly unearthed footage and interviews with surviving players, including goalkeeper María José “Mari” Pardo, who recalls the hostility they faced when arriving at municipal pitches that were often closed to women. “We were told football was not for girls,” Pardo says in the film. “Yet we filled stadiums in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, proving the opposite.” The team played at least six matches between 1971 and 1984, including a 3-1 victory over Portugal in Lisbon in 1978, a result that helped shift public opinion.
The timing of the release coincides with Spain’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the current squad, now world champions, will defend their title in the United States. “These women laid the groundwork for every girl who now dreams of pulling on the red shirt,” said RFEF president Luis Rubiales. “Their courage deserves to be remembered.” The documentary will premiere in 25 cinemas across Spain on 13 June 2026, with a national television broadcast scheduled for 20 June.
Meanwhile, the men’s team is focused on the upcoming tournament, where 38-year-old Lionel Messi faces his first competitive test since the 2022 World Cup against Austria in Group B. Austrian outlet *Die Presse* asks whether the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner remains at the level that once made him the sport’s most feared attacker.
Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García, speaking to *La Vanguardia*, praised the mental resilience of young Spanish talents such as Lamine Yamal, whose self-assurance on the pitch García described as “unprecedented in Spanish football.” García, 26, will compete in his first World Cup as Spain bids to become the first nation to win consecutive men’s and women’s titles.
The contrast between past and present is stark: where the 1970s pioneers fought for recognition, today’s players enjoy professional contracts, media coverage, and youth academies dedicated to girls’ football. The documentary’s producers hope it will inspire a new wave of players and remind fans that Spain’s footballing identity was built by more than one generation.