Soccer

Soccer, also known as football in most countries outside North America, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each, on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The objective of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing team’s goal. The game is played primarily with the feet, but players can use any part of their body except their arms and hands; only the goalkeeper may handle the ball within the penalty area.

Soccer is governed by the laws of the game set by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), and it is one of the most popular sports globally, with millions of players and fans. The sport is played at both amateur and professional levels, and major international competitions include the FIFA World Cup and continental tournaments such as the UEFA European Championship and the Copa América. The simplicity of its rules and the minimal equipment required make soccer highly accessible and widely played worldwide.