Taika Waititi's 'Next Goal Wins' Premieres in Italy, Based on American Samoa's 2011 Upset

Taika Waititi's film 'Next Goal Wins' (Italian title 'Chi segna vince') has been released in Italian theaters by Searchlight Pictures. The film is based on the true story of the American Samoa national football team, which suffered a record 31-0 defeat to Australia on April 11, 2001, at the International Sports Stadium in Coffs Harbour. After being ranked last in FIFA's world rankings until November 2011, the team achieved its first international victory, beating Tonga 2-1 during the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) World Cup qualifiers. The film follows coach Thomas Rongen, played by Michael Fassbender, a former player who coached various U.S. teams before taking on the role of coaching 'the worst team in the world' in 2011. Waititi described the project as a family affair, working with many crew members from New Zealand and Samoa to ensure cultural authenticity. The film emphasizes Samoan values such as altruism, family, and acceptance, and focuses on the theme of defeat. Waititi noted that having friends from New Zealand and Samoa in the cast helped maintain cultural specificity.