Last Updated on January 1, 2026 by “Talha”
Sports Documentaries have come a long way, encompassing more sports and more stories than before. Today, the best sports documentaries explore identity, power, obsession, failure, redemption, and cultural change through the lens of competition. Be it based on legendary sports, historic events, or the behind-the-scenes reality, such films and series provide a narrative that appeals to even a non-sports fan.
In this article, I will share the 15 best sports documentaries of all time by applying three essential criteria, namely, critical approval, viewer ratings, and popularity over time. The list includes documentaries of various sports, periods, and platforms to have a complete picture of the genre till 2026.
Just a heads-up — the list below isn’t presented in any particular order. Each item stands on its own, so think of it as a curated collection rather than a ranking.
15. The Dawn Wall (2017)
Sport: Rock Climbing
Platform: Amazon Prime
This documentary tracks the story of Tommy Caldwell as he tries to free-climb the Dawn Wall, which involves both a sporting slight accomplishment and spiritual endurance. With high-rated reviews due to its emotional narrative and realism, it retains high viewer scores. It is commonly regarded as one of the most powerful contemporary climbing sports documentaries.
14. Pumping Iron (1977)
Sport: Bodybuilding
Platform: Amazon Prime
Pumping Iron not only made competitive bodybuilding mainstream but also exposed Arnold Schwarzenegger to the rest of the world. It is a mix of competitiveness and a personality-driven narrative, which has made it culturally important decades later. The legacy of the film makes it a classic in the history of sports documentaries.
13. Athlete A (2020)
Sport: Gymnastics
Platform: Netflix
Athlete A is an examination of the abuse scandals at USA Gymnastics with a focus on the voices of survivors and the role of journalism. Its measured approach and emotional weight earned critical praise. The documentary is unique in that it reveals the ability of sports documentaries to reveal institutional failure and motivate awareness.
12. Untold: Malice at the Palace (2021)
Sport: Basketball
Platform: Netflix
This season of Untold by Netflix revisits the notorious event of the NBA brawl in 2004 through the lens of the players. It also puts a spin on a highly misrepresented event by debunking media stories. It was ranked among the most discussed documentaries on Netflix during the year of its release due to the high viewership and engagement.
11. Hard Knocks (2001–Present)
Sport: American Football
Platform: HBO / Max
Hard Knocks provides unprecedented access to the NFL preseason like never before, with a mixture of player stories and the organizational plan. Its success over a long period of time shows its popularity and trust among viewers. Being one of the most popular sports documentary series ever, the series continues to be a must-watch among football fans.
10. The Rescue (2021)
Sport: Cave Diving / Rescue
Platform: Disney+
The Rescue reports the 2018 Thai cave rescue mission with accuracy and sensitivity. Emphasizing both the aspects of being a professional diver and decision-making in the high-pressure environment, eliminating sensationalism but keeping it tense. Critics have been very appreciative of its clarity and realism, and it was rated among the top in the category of real-life sports and rescue documentaries in recent years.
9. When We Were Kings (1996)
Sport: Boxing
Platform: Amazon Prime
The film, based on the Oscar-winning film “Rumble in the Jungle” starring Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, is a mix of boxing, politics, and the history of the culture. It portrays the charisma and the ideological influence of Ali outside the ring. The movie is still among the best boxing and sports documentaries to ever be made.
8. Diego Maradona (2019)
Sport: Football (Soccer)
Platform: HBO / Amazon Prime
The documentary tells the story of Diego Maradona in the prime of his career at Napoli, through a lot of unseen footage. It shows his brilliance as well as personal struggles, fame, and outward pressures. The film is highly appreciated as profound and self-focused enough, and is generally viewed as the ultimate documentary portrait of one of the most complicated figures in the world of football.
7. Formula 1: Drive to Survive (2019–Present)
Sport: Formula 1
Platform: Netflix
Drive to Survive gave Formula 1 a new face to a wide audience around the world by centering on personalities, rivalry, and drama behind the scenes. Its narrative style contributed to the immense popularity boom of F1, especially in the emerging markets. Being one of the most successful sports documentaries on Netflix, it still enjoys the critics and casual viewers.
6. Icarus (2017)
Sport: Cycling / Olympic Sports
Platform: Netflix
What started as an individual doping project soon turned into a global scandal that revealed state-sponsored cheating in world sport. Icarus is a blend of real-time storytelling and investigative journalism. It won an Academy Award and was one of the most influential documentaries on Netflix that transformed the discussions on doping and integrity in the Olympics.
5. Hoop Dreams (1994)
Sport: Basketball
Platform: Criterion Channel
Hoop Dreams follows two Chicago teenagers on their professional basketball careers over a period of years. Instead of emphasizing the idea of stardom, it puts emphasis on inequality, pressure, and systemic barriers in sports among the youth. The most acclaimed documentary ever made by critics, it has become a staple of serious sports documentary filmmaking.
4. Free Solo (2018)
Sport: Rock Climbing
Platform: Disney+
Free Solo traces the story of Alex Honnold as he tries to solo climb El Capitan without ropes, and the film includes the physical risk and the psychological tension. The cinematography and tension put in the film made it receive massive recognition and an Academy Award. Its cross-over popularity exposed climbing to the mainstream audience, and it was placed among the finest sporting documentaries of modern times.
3. O.J.: Made in America (2016)
Sport: American Football
Platform: ESPN+ / FX
This is a multi-part documentary that looks at the rise of O. J. Simpson as an NFL star and the cultural pressures that surrounded his notorious trial. It is a mix of sports, race, and media history, which provides a broader social context than is common in profiles of athletes. It won the Academy Award for the best documentary feature and is reputed to be amongst the most critically acclaimed sports documentary films of all time.
2. Senna (2010)
Sport: Formula 1
Platform: Amazon Prime / Apple TV
Senna tells the story of the life and career of Ayrton Senna by utilizing only archival footage to produce a compelling narrative. It is centered on his competitions, spirituality, and conflicts with Formula 1 authorities. The film was widely acclaimed by critics all over the world and is frequently considered one of the best sports documentaries of all time, being very popular among motorsport fans and general viewers.
1. The Last Dance (2020)
Sport: Basketball
Platform: Netflix
The Last Dance captures the final season of Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls and makes a trip back to the dynasty that characterized basketball in the 1990s. It highlights leadership, ego, and competitive obsession with the help of original footage of the events and unfiltered interviews. The show received extensive critical acclaim and record audiences when it was released, becoming one of the most popular sports documentaries in history.
Final Word
The best sports documentaries do more than just show wins and losses. They capture ambition, flaws, power dynamics, and the personal cost of greatness. From classics like Hoop Dreams to relatively new hits like The Last Dance, the genre keeps growing and stays relevant. Whether you watch on Netflix or elsewhere, these titles are among the best sports documentaries up to 2026.
FAQs
No. Good sports documentaries are centered on human life, social aspects, and the problems of a person, which concern even people who are not interested in sports.
Yes. Sports documentaries such as Senna, Free Solo, The Rescue, Hoop Dreams, and When We Were Kings are rated highly, can be found on platforms besides Netflix, and are often considered classics.
The Last Dance, Senna, Hoop Dreams, O.J.: Made in America, and When We Were Kings are some of the best sports documentaries based on criticism, ratings and cultural influence.
The best documentaries on Netflix were The Last Dance, Drive to Survive, Icarus, Athlete A, and Untold: Malice at the Palace which all have reported high viewership and favorable reviews.
The key qualities that contribute to critical acclaim are typically good storytelling, honest access, cultural appeal, and exploring themes outside of wins and losses, including identity, power, and resilience.
Sports documentaries are successful since they are real-life drama, high-stakes events, and emotional tales, and therefore are very bingeable and reach a large audience.
