The Match Review (BFI London Film Festival 2026)
“When does a match start? When does it end?” These are the questions that open The Match through the initial intertitles over a black screen. As the title might suggest, the documentary focuses on one faithful match: the 1986 quarter-final FIFA World Cup between Argentina and England, just four years after the Falklands War between the two countries. The documentary features former footballers who participated in the game, such as Gary Lineker, John Barnes, Jorge Burruchaga, Jorge Valdano, Oscar Ruggeri, Peter Shilton, Ricardo Giusti, and Julio Olarticoechea.
The film also focuses a lot on Diego Maradona and his two famous goals from that match. As a documentary on the 1985 football match between England and Argentina, the film does a good job of giving both countries and teams a spotlight. The sometimes overbearing voice of god narration is equally split between an English-speaking voice and a Spanish-speaking one, as are the commentaries on the match and the found footage it utilises. This allows the audience to gain insight into both perspectives, not only in terms of the titular football match but also regarding the historical rivalry between the countries in football and in politics at large.
This film is at its very best when the commentary on the football game meets the complicated history of political relationships between Argentina and England. This works especially well because it situates the match in the context of its time, suggesting that this was not just a game but a reflection of the wider socio-political situation. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between, and the documentary never manages to fully explore the political aspect as it perhaps should have to make it stand out from any other sports documentary.
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As a documentary, this film has not figured out who it is for. It goes into too much detail and unnecessary explanation of football history and the events leading up to this game for football fans. In its first half, the voice-of-God narration is expositionary at best, over-analysing many elements that barely pay off later, and patronising at best for those in the audience who are bound to be aware of these topics already. At the same time, it is very technical in its explanation of the game it analyses and entirely reliant on the audience having an existing interest in this story for non-football fans to easily get into it and find interest in this particular match.
While it may be a good commentary on the actual game, that aspect only works partially. Getting the players together to comment on such an iconic match is an idea that could work, but the documentary constantly moves away from it to touch on events from the past and from the future after this match. This leaves little space for commentary from the actual players who have lived this match on their own skin, which is a shame as that would have also set the documentary apart and provided a new and interesting perspective on this game. Overall, The Match is a film that football fans might enjoy, but it will not work for those who may be merely curious about the game or the socio-political reasons that made it so important to begin with.
Despite the few interesting elements it touches on, there is very little in it that actually sets it apart from other sports documentaries, so this will only work for those with a keen interest on this specific match, which is analysed with a lot of depth and from the perspective of the footballers themselves.
★★
Playing at the 2026 BFI London Film Festival on October 7th, 9th and 16th / Gary Lineker, John Barnes, Jorge Burruchaga, Jorge Valdano / Dir: Juan Cabral and Santiano Franco / Buena Vista International/ 15
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