Is the movie Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos available on Netflix, Disney+, Prime or Apple TV+?
Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (2006) tells the improbable rise of a team that turned the American pitch into a global stage. From the headline transfer that brought Pelé to the NASL, to the Cosmos’ private table at Studio 54 and the glittering parade of international stars like Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto, the documentary retraces a run of goals, glitz and eventual decline that reads like a Hollywood screenplay. Here at Stream Tracker, we’ll walk you through that story and — most importantly — whether you can stream it right now on Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video or Apple TV+. Expect references to the transfer window, the roar of the crowd and the locker-room politics that made the Cosmos both a sporting and cultural phenomenon.
Synopsis
In the 1970s, an ambitious effort to popularize soccer across North America unfolded through the fledgling North American Soccer League. Most clubs struggled for attention, but one franchise shattered expectations: the New York Cosmos. Conceived by Warner Communications executive Steve Ross with backing from the Ertegun brothers of Atlantic Records, the team stumbled at first after its 1971 launch. Everything shifted in 1975 when Pelé, the sport’s global icon, was lured to New York for a landmark $5 million deal, transforming the Cosmos into a cultural phenomenon overnight. Suddenly the players were celebrities, rubbing shoulders with Manhattan nightlife and even securing a permanent table at Studio 54; their star-studded roster soon grew to include international legends like Franz Beckenbauer, Rodney Marsh and Carlos Alberto. Yet the glitter couldn’t last forever: as the decade turned, fan interest waned and financial strain set in, culminating in the club’s demise in 1985.
Watch on which platform Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos
Updated on 12/03/2026Netflix
Not available
Disney+
Not available
Prime Video
Not available
Apple TV+
Not available