The 10 Best Soccer Romance Novels To Read During The World Cup

Garret Graham, Shane Hollander, and Brayden Elliot, oh my! From Heated Rivalry to Off Campus, winter sports romances — particularly hockey — have taken over our bookshelves and screens. But the ice has melted, summer is here, and the World Cup is in full swing. It’s time to dive into juicy soccer romances.

Soccer has all the perfect makings of a perfect romantic setting: sweat trickling down muscular bodies, high emotional stakes, and close physical contact, not to mention significantly fewer clothes than hockey. In fact, in an informal GQ survey of more than 100 women, soccer players were voted the most attractive athletes.

Plenty of World Cup viewers agree. In the weeks since the games began, social media has been alight with thirst tweets, TikToks, and edits, with stars including Nigeria’s Maduka Okoye and South Korea’s Cho Gue-sung going viral for more than just their skills on the field.

Whether you’re rooting for your home country, crushing on a favorite player, or looking to expand beyond hockey romance, here are 10 soccer romances to get you in the mood (or ~in the mood~) for the World Cup.

Hotshot By Clare Lydon

World Cup winner Sloane Patterson has made a name for herself in the United Kingdom as an American soccer player with a perfect life and the perfect fiancée — except then he cheats. But as their relationship unravels, she sparks an unexpected connection with her coach, Ella Carmichael. As the two grow closer and the lines between the personal and the professional start to blur, Sloane aims for a different kind of prize: Ella’s heart.

You Don't Have A Shot By Racquel Marie

Straight-laced Valentina “Vale” Castillo-Green and confident Leticia Ortiz have been longtime rivals on the soccer field. After a fight leaves them reeling, however, they find themselves as co-captains of the same team. Forced together, they must make their shaky partnership work.

Love And Other Goals By Tracy Baack

Lana Grant’s dream of changing the world as an immigration lawyer is within reach. As the pieces of her life lock into place, there’s just one thing missing: a relationship with her longtime crush that goes beyond one-sided yearning. But when handsome soccer captain Mateo Alvarez asks her on a date, her priorities are thrown into question.

Two Left Feet By Kallie Emblidge

When a midseason injury benches Camden Roses star Oliver Harris, his new coach brings in Spain’s Leonardo Davies-Villanueva as a ringer. Fearful he’s being replaced, Oliver takes the annoying, over-eager Leo under his wing. But as his disdain melts into something softer, his goals begin to shift.

First Meet Foul By Jaqueline Snowe

Soccer-player Lorelei Romano had it all figured out: She was living with her best friend and planning a future with her long-term boyfriend. However, when an unexpected series of events leaves her living in the football team house with her brother, she finds herself on a collision course with Luca Monroe, an NFL hopeful with no time for distractions.

The Striker By Ana Huang

Asher Donovan, bad-boy star of the Premier League, cost his team the championship after a fight with his enemy-turned-teammate. While grappling with the fallout, he finds himself developing feelings for his athletic trainer… who just so happens to be his rival’s sister.

First Flight, Final Fall By C.W. Farnsworth

Saylor Scott is the top female college player in the United States. She doesn’t have time for dates, let alone a relationship. But when she meets Adler Beck, a German footballer — and three-time winner of Sexiest Athlete Alive — she challenges him to a good old-fashioned shoot-out, and her commitment to staying single starts to slip.

Everything For You By Chloe Liese

Co-captains Oliver Bergman and Gavin Hayes couldn’t be more different. Oliver is warm and sunny; Gavin is stubborn and grumpy. But when their coach gives them an ultimatum — get along or step down as captains — the two must put aside their differences and build their chemistry both on and off the field.

Kulti By Mariana Zapata

Sal Casillas grew up worshiping Reiner Kulti, an internationally renowned soccer star. So imagine her surprise when years later he arrives as a coach for her team, a quiet shell of himself, though just as smoldering as she remembered.

Futbolista By Jonny Garza Villa

College goalie Gabriel is decidedly straight. But when Vale — the beautiful brown-eyed boy in his philosophy class whom he once kissed at a party — offers to tutor him, he begins to question his sexuality. When their dynamic blossoms into love, Gabi must balance his new romance with his team’s expectations and hopes for his future.