Wogball – Australia’s Beautiful Game
The story of the wild ride of Australian football. From being dismissed as a game for outsiders to the moment that 43 percent of the country watched the Matildas in the 2023 World Cup Semi-Final.
Damian Davis – Director / Creator
Nick Price – Producer
Anthony LaPaglia – Host & Narrator
John Didulica – Cultural Consultant
Premiere: SBS main channel – Wednesday 24th June 19:30
Repeats:
SBS main – Fri 26/06/2026 21:30
Viceland – Fri 10/07/2026 21:50
SBS main – Sat 18/07/2026 16:20
Streaming now on SBS on Demand
Ways to watch:
“Wogball – Australia’s Beautiful Game” is the story of how football has become one of the national success stories of modern Australia. It’s a wild ride, full of unexpected stories, surprising revelations and moments of unfettered joy. It’s a story of resilience about a code that overcame institutionalised racism (under the White Australia Policy), media animosity, hostile competing codes, and, not least, themselves, to become the game that best represents who we really are as a nation. It will be presented by Aussie Hollywood star Anthony LaPaglia, who played professionally before realising he would never fulfill his dreams and turned to the stage. We will be joined by sport heroes, comedians and experts, all adding to the drama and celebration. It is a surprisingly emotional story about passion and family and how football grew into something bigger than the game itself. It’s nostalgic, warm, playful, a little contentious and the perfect warm up to the 2026 World Cup.
