More than just a sports movie, The Match is a historical gut-punch that will leave you cheering for the underdogs. But before you kick off your viewing experience and get swept up in the drama, check out this guide to find where you can stream this gripping tale of resilience and defiance, so you can witness history from the comfort of your couch.
Where to watch The Match (2021)
There are several ways to watch the 2021 movie The Match in the United States:
Subscription services
- Showtime: This is the main platform where The Match is available. If you have a Showtime subscription, you can watch it directly on their website, app, or through supported devices like Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, etc.
- Paramount+ (with Showtime add-on): If you subscribe to Paramount+ and add the Showtime add-on, you can also access The Match through their platform.
- fuboTV: This live TV streaming service includes Showtime as part of its Family or Ultimate plan, allowing you to watch “The Match” live or on-demand.
Rental/purchase
You can rent or purchase The Match on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play Movies, and YouTube.
Other options
- Physical media: You can also buy the movie on DVD or Blu-ray.
- Local library: Some libraries may have copies of the movie available for checkout.
What is the 2021 movie The Match about?
The 2021 movie The Match is a historical sports drama inspired by true events during World War II. It tells the story of a high-stakes soccer match between a team of Ukrainian prisoners of war and an elite Nazi team, played on Adolf Hitler’s birthday in 1944.
Based on true events, the film depicts the immense pressure the imprisoned players face. While some see it as a chance for a temporary escape from the harsh realities of the camp, others view it as a potential symbol of defiance against their oppressors.
Throughout the game, the tension mounts as the prisoners, despite their disadvantage, skillfully compete against the Nazi team. The narrative explores themes of hope, resilience, and the power of sports to unite even in the darkest of times.
Who stars in the 2021 movie The Match?
The 2021 movie “The Match” features an ensemble cast with several notable actors, both established and up-and-coming. Here are some of the main players:
Main cast
- Franco Nero: An Italian actor known for his roles in Western films like Django and Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Nero portrays Branko, the captain of the Ukrainian prisoner-of-war team.
- Caspar Phillipson: A British actor who has appeared in Dunkirk and Allied, Phillipson plays Colonel Franz, the Nazi officer overseeing the match.
- Armand Assante: An American actor best known for his roles in Q&A and Hoffa, Assante depicts the Commander, a high-ranking Nazi official present at the game.
- Viktor Kulhanek: A Czech actor appearing in his first major international film, Kulhanek shines as young Branko
Supporting cast
- Markus Gertken (General)
- Andrej Dojkić (Laszlo Horvath)
- Filip Tallhamn (Karolyi Faraco)
- Philippe Reinhardt (Henckel)
- Milton Welsh (Peter)
- Paško Vukasović (Tibor)
- Inva Mula (Magda Stekely)
- Andrea Zirio (Sandor Stekely)
The film also features cameos from Croatian football players Dejan Lovren and Mateo Kovačić, adding an authentic touch to the on-field scenes.
Is the 2021 movie The Match worth watching?
Whether The Match is worth watching depends on your personal preferences in film. But here’s a breakdown of its pros and cons to help you decide:
Pros
- Story with historical significance: Inspired by true events, it offers a unique perspective on a lesser-known aspect of WWII.
- Themes of hope and resilience: The film’s message about overcoming adversity can be inspiring.
- Performance and drama: The cast delivers strong performances, particularly the lead portraying the Ukrainian team captain. The tension builds effectively throughout the match.
- Critical reception: While not universally praised, many critics commended the film’s emotional impact and historical context.
Cons
- Predictability: The overall plot may feel familiar for sports underdog stories.
- Historical accuracy debate: Some critics raised concerns about the film’s liberties taken with historical details.
- Violence and dark themes: The setting and events involve depictions of Nazi brutality, which might not be suitable for all viewers.
- Oversimplification of complexities: The film compresses a complex historical event into a single narrative, potentially oversimplifying some aspects.
Overall, The Match is a thought-provoking and well-acted film with a powerful message. If you enjoy historical dramas and stories about overcoming challenges, it’s likely worth watching. However, if you’re concerned about historical accuracy, prefer more complex narratives, or are sensitive to graphic themes, you might want to give it a pass.
You can watch the official trailer for the film below:
![THE MATCH [Official Trailer] 2021](https://geekspin.co/wp-content/cache/flying-press/XuUelAAR6nA-hqdefault.jpg)
What is The Match series?
For sports fans, The Match is not a movie but a series of exhibition match play golf challenge matches that began in 2018. It features major professional golfers or other notable athletes facing each other in a head-to-head competition. The format has varied throughout the event’s history, but it always includes sports entertainment elements, such as side bets between the contestants.
The Match was co-created by Hollywood agent Jack Whigham and TV producer Bryan Zuriff. The latter was a huge fan of The Skins Game — a former PGA Tour unofficial event that was held around Thanksgiving weekend — and envisioned a concept for a golf event. Zuriff described The Match as a golf game that would be “played the way a lot of us play with our buddies on the weekends? You know, where you bet on everything and talk smack and basically have this continually running dialogue of giving each other” grief.
The Match has nine editions so far, and they are as follows:
Tiger vs. Phil
Played on November 23, 2018, The Match: Tiger vs. Phil was a match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, which took place at the Shadow Creek Golf Course in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The purse for the event was $9 million. Mickelson took the entire amount after winning the match after 22 holes, including four playoff holes.
Champions for Charity
The second edition of the series titled The Match: Champions for Charity was played on May 24, 2020, at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. Broadcast live on TNT, TBS, HLN, and truTV, the match featured a pro-am four-ball format with each golfer having a National Football League (NFL) quarterback as his partner: Woods was partnered with Peyton Manning, while Mickelson was paired with Tom Brady. Woods and Manning won against Mickelson and Brady by a single hole.
Brian Anderson hosted the event, with Trevor Immelman and Charles Barkley serving as analysts, and Justin Thomas and Amanda Balionis as on-course reporters.
Champions for Change
The third edition, The Match: Champions for Change, happened on November 27, 2020, at Stone Canyon Golf Club in Oro Valley, Arizona. Benefitting historically black colleges and universities, the match was played using an American foursome format. This time, Mickelson was partnered with NBA hall-of-famer Charles Barkley, who played from a forward set of tees, ultimately defeating Manning and his NBA star partner Stephen Curry.
The Match: Champions for Change was broadcast live on TNT, with Anderson and Immelman returning as host and analyst, respectively. Joining them for commentary was NBA star Andre Iguodala.
The Match IV
The fourth edition of The Match took place on July 6, 2021 at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana. The match featured Mickelson and Brady competing against Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau. In this edition, greensomes replaced the American foursomes format used in the previous edition. DeChambeau and Rodgers won the match 3 and 2.
Bryson vs. Brooks
The fifth edition of The Match was a game between DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. It took place on November 26, 2021, at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. The format for Bryson vs Brooks returned to the original format of Tiger vs. Phil, with the length of the match reduced to 12 holes. Koepka won four of the first eight holes and emerged as the winner when DeChambeau failed to make his birdie putt on the ninth green and conceded.
The Match VI
Held on June 1, 2022, the sixth edition of The Match, fans saw Brady and Rodgers paired with each other against Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. The edition used a shamble format, with Brady and Rodgers defeating Allen and Mahomes by one hole. Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley served as commentators for the competition.
The Match VII
Held in prime time on December 10, 2022, at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, the seventh edition of The Match featured a mostly new roster of professional golfers after Mickelson, Koepka and DeChambeau were expelled from the PGA for competing in LIV Golf.
For The Match VII, Rory McIlroy was paired with Woods against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in a four-ball event. Spieth and Thomas defeated Woods and McIlroy 3 and 2 in the 12-hole event.
The Match VIII
The Match VIII was held on June 29, 2023, at Wynn Golf Club, and featured two championship-winning duos from different leagues: Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and Golden State Warriors teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Mahomes and Kelce won the match decisively.
No edition of The Match took place in November or December 2023, after discussions with The Park Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida for a December 15 competition fell through due to schedule conflicts.
The Match IX
The Match IX was held on February 26, 2024, at Park City Municipal Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. The ninth and latest edition of the exhibition series featured a 12-hole skins game played between Max Homa, Rory McIlroy, and LPGA Tour superstars Lexi Thompson, and Rose Zhang. The match ended with McIlroy winning the event with 10 skins to Thompson’s two, with the other two players winning nothing.
Serving as on-air analysts for the game were Ernie Johnson, Trevor Immelman, Charles Barkley, and Christina Kim. DJ Khaled served as a commentator and sportscaster Kathryn Tappen was also involved with The Match IX in some capacity.
Where to watch The Match series?
You can watch The Match through the following options:
- Cable TV: If you have a cable subscription, you can watch The Match live on TNT, TBS, truTV, or HLN.
- Live TV streaming services: Several live TV streaming services offer TNTin their packages, including:
- fuboTV: Offers a 7-day free trial.
- YouTube TV: Offers a 5-day free trial.
- Hulu + Live TV: Offers a 7-day free trial.
- Sling TV (select packages): Offers a 7-day free trial on select packages, but not all.