The film's title refers to David Beckham's technique of curling free kicks, known as "bending" the ball.

The story is loosely based on the life of Permi Jhooti.

Director Gurinder Chadha and producer Nayar actively sought financing for the film at the Sundance Film Festival, eventually bringing on German company Road Movies, British Screen, and The Film Council.

David Beckham appears only in archive football footage and on posters in Jess's bedroom; his cameo in the airport scene was actually played by lookalike Andy Harmer due to scheduling conflicts, while Victoria Beckham's cameo was played by Gill Penny.

Gurinder Chadha cast Shaheen Khan as Jess's mother after having previously worked with her on Bhaji on the Beach, and cast Bollywood actor Anupam Kher as Jess's father.

Chadha collaborated with The Football Association and cast actual football players from various school teams for the film.

Principal photography began on 18 June 2001 and lasted nine weeks, with filming in London and Shepperton Studios, while the semi-final match scenes were shot over three days in Hamburg, Germany.

For its American release, marketers considered changing the title to "Move It Like Mia" because they worried U.S. audiences would not be familiar with David Beckham.

On 26 December 2010, an edited version of the film was broadcast on North Korean state television to mark the tenth anniversary of North Korea-UK relations, described as the first-ever Western-made film aired on North Korean TV.

The film set the record in India for the most tickets sold during a single weekend for a foreign movie, and became the highest-grossing Indian-themed film in the United States since Gandhi (1982).

Keira Knightley told PrideSource she would like a lesbian-themed sequel to Bend It Like Beckham and agreed that her character and Jess's should have ended up together.

In July 2025, Gurinder Chadha announced she is developing a sequel, either as a film or TV series, aiming for a 2027 release to coincide with the Women's World Cup and the original film's 25th anniversary.