Netflix go ‘access-all-areas at World Cup’ with ‘Captains’ documentary

Netflix have reportedly gone access-all-areas at the Qatar World Cup for a new documentary focused on captains, including Thiago Silva, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric. 

The Telegraph have detailed how the makers of hit Netflix series ‘Sunderland ’till I Die’ have been busy tracking captains of sides at the World Cup – but England‘s Harry Kane is not among them and isn’t involved.   

The rising popularity of sports documentaries – shows on Manchester City, Arsenal and more recently Wrexham – made the World Cup an attractive proposition and with rivals such as Amazon Prime rebuffed, it represents a coup for Netflix. 

Luka Modric (left) and Gareth Bale (right) are set to be involved in a new Netflix documentary

‘Captains’ is following teams at the World Cup – but Harry Kane is reportedly not involved in it

‘Captains’, as it will be titled, will reportedly not hit the streaming service until next summer.

It is said to be a multi-million pound deal FIFA’s broadcasting arm, FIFA+.

The current series is a follow on from the ‘Captains’ documentary that detailed the qualification campaigns of a number of teams, including Croatia and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon.

In the build-up to Qatar England batted away a number of approaches for a focused series on the Three Lions, for fear it would serve as a distraction for Gareth Southgate’s squad.

It is claimed that the access-all-areas Netflix crew have captured Brazil’s disappointing exit

‘It’s not my cup of tea. I’d be surprised if the group of players we’ve got would have an interest in that,’ Southgate said of a possible documentary before the tournament.

Kane, who is reportedly not involved in ‘Captains’, said earlier in the year: ‘I’ve not been contacted about my wife [being involved] and she hasn’t. But we don’t want any distractions.’ 

It appears that Kane has stuck to his guns in a bid to place all his focus on the football by giving this reported Netflix show a wide berth.  

The access-all-areas Netflix crews in Qatar have reportedly captured loads of storylines to help tell the tale of the World Cup through different captain’s perspective. 

Hugo Lloris (right) is France’s captain and is seen issuing a rallying cry in the tunnel pre-match

Morocco have been one of the storylines of the tournament, becoming the first African team to reach the semi-final stage, and their captain Romain Saiss will be featured being taken off on a stretcher in their quarter-final win over Portugal.

It is also expected to have captured the emotion of Brazil’s quarter-final exit on penalties, with access in the dressing room and to Silva’s family. 

The production company in charge of ‘Captains’ is Fulwell 73, the British group that won rave reviews for ‘Sunderland ’till I Die’.