Love Goals: 10 Soccer Romances to Keep the Season Going
Missing soccer…sorry, we mean football, already? Between the World Cup wrap-up and bingeing the latest season of Ted Lasso, we've caught a serious case of football fever, and honestly, we're not mad about it.
So we've put together ten romances to keep that football high going a little longer. Think grumpy goalkeepers, secret relationships, fake dating gone real, and enough locker room tension to fill a whole season. Grab your favourite jersey, get cozy and let these books tide you over until the next match kicks off.
Close Knit by Kels & Denise Stone
The broodiest goalkeeper in the Premier League meets his match in a radiant knitting influencer in this sexy grumpy/sunshine sports romance.
Everything for You by Chloe Liese
Enemies become lovers in this sizzling sports romance about taking a chance on love when life’s taught you it’s a losing game.
Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score
At 38, Marley moves back to her small hometown after losing her job, boyfriend, and savings, only to end up coaching her old high school's worst soccer team and entering a fake relationship with the tattooed track coach she can't stop falling for. Between meddling teens, a nosy town, and way too much shared history, she'll have to decide if rock bottom might actually be the start of something real.
Knockout by Riley Bauer
A second chance romance with rivals on the pitch, a found family of teammates who notice everything, and a secret relationship running out of places to hide and a swoony HEA.
The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco by Talia Hibbert
Millionaire soccer star Nikolas Christou is instantly smitten with plus-sized, tattooed Aria Granger, but she's sworn off love after her ex nearly hurt her best friend, so she's not exactly buying his charm. When Nik recruits her as his fake girlfriend to fend off "misunderstandings," Aria has to figure out if this too-perfect athlete is really as harmless as he seems—or if she's about to break her own rule for good.
Relationship Goals by Brittany Kelley
An infamously grumpy star soccer player is forced to fake date a Hollywood starlet, only to develop real feelings for her—just as she learns he was pretending and vows to get even.
Cleats and Chemistry by Emily Bellford
As team physiotherapist for the Charlotte Kings, keeping her hands—and heart—strictly professional is the one rule she can't break, especially with her brother's charming, injury-prone teammate Colton Ayers. But as he starts seeing past her clipboard to the person underneath, she has to decide if trusting him is worth the career-ending headline a nosy reporter could deliver.
The Romcom Remake by Jen Atkinson
She’s plotting a romcom. He’s playing without a game plan.
But sometimes the best love stories are the ones that don’t follow the script.
Penalty Kiss by Annie Dyer
Manchester Athletic's bad-boy midfielder needs a serious image repair after a tabloid scandal, and the club decides their squeaky-clean women's star, Dee Jones, is just the wholesome influence to fix it—except Dee can't stand him and has troubles of her own she's desperate to hide. Forced together as a PR fix, the question becomes whether this "penalty" might actually turn into something worth kissing.
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
A sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.
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Frequently asked
What soccer romance novels are recommended in Love Goals?
The list includes Close Knit by Kels & Denise Stone, Everything for You by Chloe Liese, Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score, Knockout by Riley Bauer, The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco by Talia Hibbert, Relationship Goals by Brittany Kelley, Cleats and Chemistry by Emily Bellford, The Romcom Remake by Jen Atkinson, Penalty Kiss by Annie Dyer and Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner.
Veronica Wilson
Which book on the list is a pick for fans of Ted Lasso?
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner is described as a sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.
Veronica Wilson