Is The Beautiful Game on Netflix based on a true story?

Bill Nighy stars as the team's coach, while Top Boy's Micheal Ward takes on the role of Vinny, a talented but troubled striker who gives the team a real chance at winning if he’s ready to let go of his past.

But is the film based on true events? Read on for everything you need to know.

Is The Beautiful Game on Netflix based on a true story?

Although the film is inspired by the real Homeless World Cup – and was made with the co-operation and support of that organisation – the specific events depicted in the film are fictional.

Therefore, the main characters including coach Mal (Bill Nighy) and star player Vinny (Micheal Ward) are not based on real people but were created for the movie, although according to the filmmakers they leaned on various real stories when putting it together.

Some of those real people whose stories are listed as "running parallel" to the fictional characters on the Homeless World Cup website include manager Craig McManus and player Lisa Wrightsman.

Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, star Callum Scott Howells explained how the film was also loosely inspired by the 2008 documentary Kicking It, which followed the experiences of seven people from around the world at the 2006 Homeless World Cup in Cape Town.

"If you watch the documentary, a lot of the characters that you see in The Beautiful Game, you'll kind of maybe loosely connect with characters from the documentary," he explained.

"Like my character, Nathan, is loosely based off of a character in the documentary.

"And you know, it's really interesting because [for] so many people, it changes their lives – like, there's stories about players that have gone on to become professional referees in the professional game, which is amazing."

He added: "But also it's worth saying that some people who experience the tournament, it's an amazing experience and it's something really special for them, but some people don't make it – and I think Nathan, my character, is really interesting.

"He's a really interesting example of kind of... I don't want to spoil it, because obviously I want people to watch the movie, but Nathan is a really interesting example of what kind of people compete in the Homeless World Cup, and the kind of challenges that they face."

Howells also explained that an extra degree of authenticity was brought to the film by the decision to cast former Homeless World Cup players as supporting artists.

"It was really special, and spending every day in and around former players, it taught us so much," he said. "And it just really helped us tell this story as authentically and truthfully as we could."

Speaking about the film, the president and founder of the Homeless World Cup Foundation, Mel Young, said: "We are incredibly excited to be the focus of the upcoming film The Beautiful Game. The Homeless World Cup is our contribution to tackling the homeless problem across the globe - but there is so much more to do.

"We have proved just how powerful football can be when it is applied to a social problem, and we will keep striving to do more. We hope that the work we do being told in The Beautiful Game inspires more people to join in and support future Homeless World Cups, and together we can all aim to end homelessness forever."

What is The Homeless World Cup?

The Homeless World Cup Foundation was first established in 2001 and the first event took place two years later in Graz, Austria.

According to the Foundation, it's mission is: "To use football to support and inspire people who are homeless to change their own lives; and to change perceptions and attitudes towards people who are experiencing homelessness."

The event traditionally takes place every year – although there was a four-year gap between 2019 and 2023 due to the pandemic – and host cities over the years have included Gothenburg, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Cape Town, Melbourne, Milan, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Mexico City, Poznań, Santiago, Amsterdam, Glasgow and Oslo.

Rome, which hosts the fictional version of the tournament in The Beautiful Game, is yet to host an event.

Meanwhile, the 2024 edition of the tournament will take place in Seoul, South Korea and will kick-off in October.

England have yet to win the tournament in either the Men's or the Women's events, but Scotland have fared much better – emerging victorious in both the 2007 and 2011 Men's tournaments and finishing as defeated finalists on a further two occasions.

Speaking about his conversions with co-founder Mel Young on set, Callum Scott Howells said: "I had so many conversations with him about what the day to day is like, in terms of the tournament and what it's like to be there.

"I spoke to a lot of people who were involved with the charity, as well, but also about how he kind of came up with the idea – and it was over a pint with his friend, which is just amazing!

"It's so mad to think that he had a pint with his friend and they come up with this thing called the Homeless World Cup, and now it's 20 years down the line, and it's changed over a million people's lives. It's extraordinary."

The Beautiful Game is now streaming on Netflix. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on tonight.

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