House of the Dragon is safely dominating the HBO Max charts at the moment, and for good reason—the series kicked off with a pretty epic naval battle and a shocking death. Dragons are, of course, cool and all, but it’s the real-life, hard-to-believe stories of a good documentary that hit the hardest, and HBO Max has had one of the best non-fiction libraries in streaming that mix timely issues, fascinating subcultures, and human stories.
For this weekend (June 26-28), HBO Max still has some life left in it for the end of the month, with a few solid picks. Well-timed with the World Cup, one explores the dark world of soccer extremism, while the second will get you right in the feels with a group of WWII veterans heading back to France. The final entry on the docket is an eye-opening conversation about people displaced by climate change.
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Ultras: Passion and Death
The darker side of extreme soccer fandom in Spain
Given all the World Cup soccer hype and coverage out there, it’s no wonder several streaming services have trotted out their best football-related movies and shows, with soccer documentaries being high up on the list—and HBO Max is no different. This intense three-part Spanish-language series that hit HBO Max on June 19 traces what happens when devotion to a football club turns into something much darker.
Ultras: Passion and Death charts the rise of Spain’s violent “ultras” movement from its 1980s roots, when hardcore supporter groups for clubs like FC Barcelona and Real Madrid transformed from fandom into hubs of aggression, far-right ideology, and even skinhead culture. The series’ 45-minute episodes each cover a different real crime that rocked the country, including the killing of Frédéric Rouquier, a young, French RCD Espanyol supporter living in Spain who was attacked by Boixos Nois, FC Barcelona’s radical ultra group; and the 1998 murder of Real Sociedad supporter Aitor Zabaleta by Atlético Madrid ultras.
The series uses some pretty incredible archival footage, dramatic reenactments, and interviews with former ultras, journalists, club and league officials, law enforcement, and even some of the victims’ families for a sobering look at this deadly corner of sports fandom.
Quiz
The greatest soccer players of all time
Trivia challenge
From Pelé to Messi — see how well you know the legends who defined the
beautiful game.
LegendsRecordsTrophiesSkillsHistory
Which player holds the record for the most international goals scored for a men’s
national team, surpassing 100 goals?
Correct! Cristiano Ronaldo broke Ali Daei’s long-standing record and
became the first men’s player to score over 100 international goals. By 2023, he had pushed the tally
past 120 goals for Portugal, a staggering feat of consistency at the highest level.
Not quite. The answer is Cristiano Ronaldo, who shattered Ali Daei’s
record and surpassed 120 international goals for Portugal. Messi is also a prolific scorer for
Argentina, but Ronaldo holds this particular all-time record.
Pelé is the only player in history to have won how many FIFA World Cup titles?
Correct! Pelé won three FIFA World Cups with Brazil — in 1958, 1962, and
1970 — making him the only player ever to achieve this. He remains the only individual to be part of
three World Cup-winning squads, a record that has stood for over 50 years.
Not quite. Pelé won three World Cups with Brazil: 1958, 1962, and 1970.
No other player in history has won the tournament three times, cementing Pelé’s status as arguably the
greatest player who ever lived.
Lionel Messi finally won the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Which country did Argentina
defeat in the final?
Correct! Argentina defeated France in a dramatic final in Qatar, with
the match ending 3–3 after extra time before Argentina won on penalties. It was considered one of the
greatest World Cup finals ever played, and it completed Messi’s legendary career résumé.
Not quite. Argentina defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final in
Qatar, in what many called the greatest final in tournament history. The match finished 3–3 after extra
time, with Argentina ultimately prevailing in a penalty shootout.
Which Hungarian player, widely regarded as one of the greatest of the 1950s, was
nicknamed ‘The Galloping Major’?
Correct! Ferenc Puskás earned the nickname ‘The Galloping Major’ owing
to his rank in the Hungarian army and his explosive playing style. He led Hungary’s legendary ‘Golden
Team’ of the 1950s and later became a star at Real Madrid, scoring 242 goals in 262 Liga appearances.
Not quite. The answer is Ferenc Puskás, the Hungarian forward who was
nicknamed ‘The Galloping Major.’ He was the driving force behind Hungary’s dominant national team of the
1950s and went on to become one of the greatest scorers in Real Madrid’s history.
Which Brazilian player, famous for his extraordinary dribbling, is often credited
with popularizing the trick known as the ‘Elastico’ or ‘flip-flap’?
Correct! Ronaldinho brought the Elastico — a lightning-fast feint where
the foot pushes the ball one way then flicks it back the other — to global attention during his peak
years at Barcelona in the mid-2000s. His flair and joy on the pitch made him one of the most beloved
players in soccer history.
Not quite. The answer is Ronaldinho, the Brazilian magician who became
world-famous for his jaw-dropping dribbling and tricks like the Elastico. His two Ballon d’Or wins and
his Champions League triumph with Barcelona in 2006 cemented his legendary status.
Which player has won the most Ballon d’Or awards in the history of the prize?
Correct! Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or a record eight times as of
2023, including his eighth award following Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victory. His long rivalry with
Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won it five times, drove both players to extraordinary heights over more than
a decade.
Not quite. Lionel Messi holds the record with eight Ballon d’Or awards,
the most in the history of the prize. Cristiano Ronaldo is his closest rival with five wins, and Michel
Platini once held the record with three consecutive wins in the 1980s.
Johan Cruyff is closely associated with which revolutionary tactical system that
changed modern soccer?
Correct! Johan Cruyff was the ultimate embodiment of Total Football, the
Dutch philosophy in which outfield players could interchange positions fluidly. He showcased it
brilliantly with Ajax and the Dutch national team in the early 1970s, and his ideas later influenced the
development of tiki-taka at Barcelona.
Not quite. The answer is Total Football, the revolutionary Dutch system
that Cruyff personified. Developed at Ajax under coach Rinus Michels, Total Football allowed players to
interchange positions freely, and Cruyff’s intelligence and skill made it the most exciting tactical
philosophy of its era.
Ronaldo Nazário, often called ‘R9,’ won the FIFA World Cup twice. In which years did
he win it?
Correct! Ronaldo was part of Brazil’s 1994 World Cup squad, though he
was very young and didn’t feature in matches, and he was the undisputed star of the 2002 triumph,
finishing as top scorer with eight goals. His comeback story after serious knee injuries to win in 2002
is one of sport’s greatest narratives.
Not quite. Ronaldo won the World Cup in 1994 and 2002 with Brazil.
Though he was a squad member in 1994 without playing, the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea was
his crowning glory — he scored twice in the final against Germany to claim the Golden Boot.
Your Score
/ 8
Thanks for playing!
2
Why We Dream
World War II veterans’ emotional return to Normandy
Don’t let the title fool you—Why We Dream isn’t about sleep. The quietly powerful 2025 CNN Films documentary that premiered on CNN on Memorial Day, and that hit HBO Max on June 24, follows a group of WWII veterans as they return to Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Director Meredith Danluck centers the film on the men themselves, now well into their nineties and some centenarians, as the men who are part of a dwindling generation revisit the beaches and reflect on memory, loss, and the trauma and hope they’ve carried for eight decades. But Danluck thankfully doesn’t lean too hard on interviews alone, instead blending rare wartime footage, grainy 16mm home movies, and classic film clips into something more artistic and authentic.
Scored by composer Christian Lundberg (The Bear, Earth at Night in Color), with a theme co-composed by Hans Zimmer, Why We Dream is eye-opening but also heartwarming.
- Brand
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Apple
- Operating System
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tvOS
1
The Welcome Table
A long dinner table with climate survivors sharing their stories
Picture a dinner table stretching 1,000 feet—longer than three football fields—down a New Orleans levee, every seat filled by someone who’s lost their home to a changing climate. That’s the indelible image at the heart of The Welcome Table, the new feature from Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning director Josh Fox, who’s best known for the HBO fracking exposé Gasland.
Rather than stack up statistics and scientists to talk your ear off, however, Fox hits the road, traveling to the frontlines of displacement across six continents—including the ashes of California’s 2018 Paradise wildfires, a Caribbean home where Hurricane Irma left only a piano too heavy to move, and a near-emptied village in southern Italy—then brings those survivors back to the table to eat, talk, and be heard.
The film doesn’t flinch from the grim math (one in three people will be displaced by climate change), but it runs on something warmer: live music from New Orleans greats like jazz singer John Boutté, who wrote the theme to HBO’s Treme, and actor-director John Cameron Mitchell. It’s a dire topic that somehow leaves you feeling lighter.
A global weekend
Spanish stadiums, the shores of Normandy, globe-trotting for climate change—you might want to get your passport stamped for this weekend on the couch.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, $10.99/month
- Simultaneous streams
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2 or 4
HBO Max is a subscription-based streaming service offering content from HBO, Warner Bros., DC, and more. In 2025, the service re-branded itself as HBO Max after having previously cut “HBO” from its name.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
