What do soccer (aka. football everywhere outside of the U.S.) and anime have in common with each other? Well, as it turns out, there’s a surprisingly large amount of overlap between them. Sports is a very popular theme in numerous anime series and movies, after all. Even just narrowing it down to just soccer / football, there’s quite a few anime all about the sport about kicking around a ball with your foot. Crunchyroll knows that very well, and also knows that the FIFA World Cup is currently having its 2026 edition playing right now. Thus, it’s why we’re getting this bit of sports anime celebration right now.
Crunchyroll is proud to celebrate FIFA World Cup 2026 with a curated list of popular anime all about soccer / football. As you might expect, all of the anime below are viewable on Crunchyroll. Not only that, but for this occasion, Crunchyroll even has a special “Anime Goals” celebratory compilation video for this occasion that you can watch on YouTube, or just look below:
Now as for that curated list of soccer / football anime Crunchyroll has promised you all? Well, you can check that out below for the details:
Crunchyroll Curated Soccer / Football Anime List
Captain Tsubasa
52 episodes (Season 1), 39 episodes (Season 2) | 2018-2023 | David Production
- Created by Yoichi Takahashi, an iconic title that helped popularize soccer in Japan
- This series is a remake of the original 80s series successfully broadcasted around the world, Captain Tsubasa (1983).
- Synopsis: Follow Tsubasa, a soccer prodigy, on his thrilling adventures towards the championship. Action, emotion, and competition await you in this must-watch anime! Watch Captain Tsubasa now. Join the winning team with Tsubasa Ozora, Genzo Wakabayashi, and legendary footballers. Experience intense matches and the excitement of sports anime!
BLUE LOCK
24 episodes (Season 1), 14 episodes (Season 2), 1 movie | 2022-2024 | 8-bit
- When a team sport becomes an individual challenge
- Based on the manga “BLUE LOCK” written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura
- Synopsis: Japan’s desire for World Cup glory 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?
Aoashi
24 episodes | 2022 | Production I.G
- A realistic story, more focus on the characters’ psychology
- Based on the awarded manga illustrated by Yugo Kobayashi and based on a concept by Naohiko Ueno
- A season 2 is scheduled next fall in Japan
- Synopsis: After a loss in his last junior high school soccer tourney, Ehime Prefecture’s ace player, Ashito Aoi, is devastated but in every loss there’s a victory. Tatsuya Fukuda, manager of an organization that trains students for one of the leading clubs in the J-League, sees Ashito’s raw talent and offers a tryout to his group. Together they’ll bring the youth club and Aoshi’s talents to new heights!
Shoot! Goal to the Future
13 episodes | 2021 | EMT Squared
- A sequel of a famous anime produced in the 1990s
- Synopsis: Years after winning a National Championship for Kakegawa High School, Atsushi Kamiya returns as a coach to a less-than-stellar team. And one of the team’s best players, Hideto Tsuji, is over playing soccer altogether! Will the star of a famous soccer team turned coach be able to reinvigorate his team and Hideto?
Comments
What do you all think? Are you interested in checking out all the soccer / football anime Crunchyroll has to offer while rooting for your favorite team in the World Cup? Tell us your footing the ball thoughts in the comments section below.
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