Nobody talks about this one. It captures the specific electricity of a World Cup qualifier, the weight of a single match, the math of group stages, the moment before everything changes, without needing to turn it into mythology. Three episodes is barely enough, which is exactly why it works; Fantasista Stella moves like a real tournament, not a shonen arc. If you love soccer and want to watch something that understands the sport instead of just using it as window dressing, this is it.

Teppei and his teammate Keisuke Honda set their sights on the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. This three-episode sports OVA from 2014 was released alongside the eighth through tenth volumes of the manga, and it centers on the pair's shared goal of reaching football's biggest international tournament.