It’s a great time to be a football fan. The FIFA World Cup 2026 is underway, and the competition is only heating up. From Messi once again proving he’s the G.O.A.T (while Cristiano Ronaldo struggled), to Norway’s Viking invasion and Brazil’s recent clash with Japan, the highlights keep coming. If you’re keeping up, football is probably occupying each and every waking moment of your day. If the stacked schedule of matches isn’t enough, and you need an entertainment fix, there’s a great catalogue of sports anime out there to add to your watchlist. From football dramas about rookies making it big to an anime with literal parallels to yesterday’s match, here are some FIFA season anime reccos.
Blue Lock
In the wildly popular Blue Lock, Japan’s desire for a World Cup victory leads the Japanese Football Association to launch a new rigorous training program to find the national team’s next striker. Three hundred high school players are pitted against each other for the position, but only one will come out on top. Who among them will be the striker to usher in a new era of Japanese soccer? The action is amazing, the competition is cut-throat, and the stakes are high as ever. This one will give you the rush you’re looking for as a football fan.
Ao Ashi
Ao Ashi follows Ashito Aoi, a young junior high football prodigy from a small town in Japan. While he’s talented, he has temper issues that get him expelled from a tournament. Luckily for him, the coach of an elite football institution from Tokyo takes him under his wing. Soon he finds himself playing in the big leagues and realises his hot-headed ways won’t cut it any more. We love a good underdog/character growth story, and this one checks all the boxes for not just an entertaining but an inspiring watch.
Captain Tsubasa
This is probably one of the most recognised football anime out there. Back in 2002, the classic animated series had Japan and Brazil clashing at the FIFA World Cup. Now, almost twenty-five years later, the fictional match became an IRL global event. The two nations met on the pitch for a thrilling match. While Japan ended up losing the match to Brazil, the anime is an exhilarating watch and a great football double feature if you’re still not over yesterday’s FIFA event.
Eyeshield 21
In Eyeshield 21, the young introverted protagonist, Sena Kobayakawa, is targeted by bullies who force him to run errands. Over time, he develops unparalleled speed. When he’s tricked into joining his school’s American football team, he plays with an eyeshield that keeps his identity hidden. This is one of the most underrated anime out there and is worth a watch if you haven’t already checked it out.
Shoot! Goal to the Future
Shoot! Goal to the Future follows Atsushi Kamiya, a football pro who, after years of winning a National Championship for Kakegawa High School, returns as a coach. However, the team isn’t all that it used to be. To make matters bleak, one of the team’s best players, Hideto Tsuji, is over the sport altogether. This one’s for when you want to watch a good comeback story amidst FIFA season.
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
