Kung Fu Soccer 2026 Movie Review Trailer

Twenty-five years after achieving resounding success—with both critics and audiences—for his martial arts sports comedy *Shaolin Soccer*, Hong Kong cinema legend Stephen Chow has released an absolutely disastrous sequel that fails to replicate any of the elements that made its predecessor a triumph. The most notable difference between the two films is deliberately obscured by the English title: *Kung Fu Soccer*—or "Women’s Kung Fu Soccer" in Chinese—shifts focus away from Fung, the protagonist of the original film, and his motley crew of skilled footballers, centering instead on a new team of female players. Much like *Ted Lasso*’s recent decision to embrace women’s football, Chow follows suit here; however, the result is so abysmal that it practically begs for a VAR review.

Although the plot is nominally set in Hong Kong—as evidenced by several easily recognizable locations—*Kung Fu Soccer* follows the trend of Chow’s more recent work by focusing exclusively on a mainland Chinese audience; in fact, the characters speak almost entirely in Mandarin. The story chronicles the ups and downs of a team of misfits competing in the "Cup of the Supreme and Invincible," held at the new Kai Tak Stadium in Kowloon. 

Directors: Stephen Chow, Tze-Chung Lam, Zhengyu Lu
Writers: Man-Keung Chan, Stephen Chow, Woody Hui
Stars: Xiaofei Zhang, Dilraba Dilmurat, Yixing Zhang

The tournament is restricted to teams composed of "enhanced" female players—endowed with special abilities—hailing from every corner of the globe. Led by their captain and coach, Shuang (Zhang Xiaofei)—a strong-willed woman whose best years are already behind her—this motley crew of players, a mix of former stars and those who never quite made their mark, must contend with obstacles such as a lack of budget, poor training facilities, a treacherous agent, and constant internal conflict—all this before even addressing fundamental matters like squad selection or on-field tactics.

Yet, this is precisely where the most glaring problem with this chaotic production lies: no one—neither on the pitch nor behind the camera—seems to have the slightest understanding of football. Viewers approaching *Kung Fu Soccer* without any prior knowledge of the sport might conclude that matches are won not by the team that scores the most goals, but by the side that, when the final whistle blows, has the most players still standing. It must be admitted that *Shaolin Soccer* (2001) was hardly a masterclass in tactical nuance—the kind one might find in *FIFA* or *Championship Manager*—when it came to dramatizing the "beautiful game." Nevertheless, Chow’s eccentric team—a group of youths moving with near-choreographic agility—at least implied that victory could be secured by pummeling opponents into a bloody mess, followed by launching the ball toward the opposing goal with as much force as possible.

In both films, the teams elevate their style of play by leveraging their remarkable martial arts skill and discipline; however, even in this regard, *Kung Fu Soccer* misses the mark. The excessive use of low-quality CGI and AI-generated elements leaves the entire production with a poor visual finish, entirely devoid of any sense of weight or physical realism. The players perform mid-air acrobatics while screaming like tormented souls—as if possessed by characters escaped from *Dragon Ball*—and conjure, out of thin air, giant animals or weapons that not only feel completely out of place in a soccer tournament, but also look truly pathetic. Having recently witnessed the physical intensity and raw power on display in Kenji Tanigaki’s *The Furious*, the lack of kinetic weight in the kung fu featured in Chow’s film is painfully apparent.

One might be willing to overlook these flaws—though, given that the film is titled *Kung Fu Soccer*, I’m not entirely sure why—if the end result functioned as a side-splitting comedy, or if it managed to elevate and celebrate its female protagonists. Unfortunately, every attempt at humor falls flat, as do the action sequences. It’s not that the jokes are overly vulgar or in poor taste; it’s simply that the script—credited to an alarmingly large number of writers—offers nothing more sophisticated than characters who do little more than scream and flail chaotically at one another.

The central plot—if we’re being generous for a moment—revolves around Shuang, an orphan who has dedicated her life to both martial arts (under the tutelage of a grandmaster played by Carina Lau) and soccer.

The film has even managed to stir up controversy in certain quarters; its portrayal of Koreans has upset audiences on the Korean Peninsula—though attributing such a calculated subtext to it might be giving its creators too much credit. There is also no shortage of cameos—featuring figures like Jimmy O. Yang, Takeru Satoh, and the Japanese dance group Avantgardey—but none manage to stand out amidst an incessant parade of empty trash.

In its home territory of mainland China (for it should, under no circumstances, be considered a Hong Kong film), *Kung Fu Soccer* has been an extraordinary success, grossing over 300 million US dollars in its first month of release. Box office figures, however, are rarely a reliable indicator of cinematic quality; in this case, they simply reflect the inevitable result of screening a high-profile release more than 200,000 times a day, which is exactly what happened here.

The film concludes with a desperate nod suggesting that Fung and his companions might attempt to take on the Emei women’s team; given the undeniable commercial success of *Kung Fu Soccer*, a sequel is all but certain. Whether Shuang and Fung will ever face off remains to be seen, but judging by this pathetic spectacle, everyone involved deserves a straight red card and an early trip to the showers.

Watch Kung Fu Soccer 2026 Movie Trailer