Another League (Spanish: Pioneras: solo querían jugar, lit.'pioneers: they just wanted to play') is a 2026 sports drama film directed by Marta Díaz de Lope Díaz. It stars Daniel Ibáñez, Sofía de Iznájar, Bruna Lucadamo, Aixa Villagrán, and Elena Irureta. It is a Spanish-Portuguese co-production.
The film premiered at the 29th Málaga Film Festival in March 2026 ahead of its 5 June 2026 theatrical release in Spain by Filmax.
Plot
Starting in 1970, the plot follows a group of girls and a young coach as the girls break down barriers in a deeply sexist society and take the baby steps of women's football in Spain.
An homage to the pioneers of women's football in Spain and to Rafael Muga, Another League was written by Marta Díaz de Lope Díaz and Zebina Guerra. The film is a Spanish-Portuguese co-production by Pioneras la Película AIE, Cine365 Films, Nadie es Perfecto, Ciudadano Ciskul, and Bando A Parte, with financial backing from RTVE, Movistar Plus+, ICAA and CreaSGR. The documentation phase was carried out with the involvement of Victoria Hernández, Isabel Fuentes[es], Conchi Sánchez, and Rafael Muga. Maria Codina worked as director of photography, using Alexa 35 cameras and Tribe anamorphic Blackwing lenses. In April 2025, Pioneras was reported to have wrapped in Madrid after six weeks and a half of filming. In addition to the streets of Villaverde, shooting locations also included Tenerife and Guadalajara.
Release
Cast and crew members attending the 2026 Málaga Film Festival
The film was presented in the official selection of the 29th Málaga Film Festival on 8 March 2026. For its international premiere, it made it to the Ibero-American slate of the 41st Guadalajara International Film Festival as well as in the lineup of films qualifying for the Maguey Award dedicated to works tackling sexual diversity and the LGBTQ+ community. Filmax handles the Spanish theatrical distribution. The theatrical release is expected for 5 June 2026.
Reception
Juan Pando[es] of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, pointing out that it tackles thorny issues with a sensitivity reminiscent of British social-issue films such as Full Monty, Brassed Off, or Pride.
Javier Ocaña of El País considered the film "a beautiful blend of social drama, biting comedy, and luminous melodrama".
Manuel J. Lombardo of Diario de Sevilla gave the film a 2-star rating, assessing that the story is drawn straight "from the handbook of feminist and libertarian best practices, [fit] for times that demand little complexity and even less depth".
The film won the public perfect award of the queer film festival Everybody's Perfect[fr] in Geneva in 2026 .
