Soccer

Soccer, also known as football in most countries outside North America, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each. The objective of the game is to score goals by getting a spherical ball into the opposing team’s net, using any part of the body except for the arms and hands (goalkeepers are an exception who can use their hands within the penalty area). The game is played on a rectangular field, known as a pitch, with a goal at each end.

Soccer is governed by a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game, which are maintained by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and administered globally by FIFA, the international governing body of soccer. The sport is played in various formats, including professional leagues, national teams, and amateur levels, and it is one of the most popular and widely recognized sports around the world. Soccer promotes teamwork, strategy, and physical fitness, and has a significant cultural and social impact, often serving as a unifying element in communities and nations. Major international competitions, such as the FIFA World Cup, draw millions of viewers and showcase the sport’s global appeal.