Copa 71 review: Triumphant story of ‘erased’ Women’s World Cup is essential viewing

Selected cinemas; Cert TBC

Denmark's Lis Lene Nielsen holds the trophy after her team beat Mexico in the Copa 71 final. Photo: TopFoto and Marina Amaral courtesy of New Black Films

Chris Wasser

This triumphant football documentary opens with a startling revelation. When Brandi Chastain, a two-time US FIFA Women’s World Cup winner, agreed to be interviewed for Rachel Ramsay and James ­Erskine’s film, she thought it was for a piece on the inaugural 1991 tournament.

At the beginning, Chastain is handed a device that shows snippets from an earlier championship in Mexico City.