Football (soccer)

Is a team-based sports practice in which two squads of eleven players aim to score goals by propelling a ball into the opposing net, using primarily their feet and prohibiting the use of hands except by the goalkeeper. The modern rules of football were codified in 1863 in England with the founding of The Football Association, which established the first official rulebook and formally separated football from rugby. Although ball games existed in many ancient cultures—from Chinese cuju in the 3rd century BCE to the Mayan pok-ta-pok—it was the British version that evolved into the global phenomenon known as soccer in the United States and Canada. From the late 19th century, football rapidly spread around the world, first throughout Europe and Latin America, then across Asia and Africa. It became an Olympic sport in 1900, and since 1930, the FIFA World Cup has been held, becoming one of the most significant international sporting events. Football encompasses professional competition as well as amateur culture, schoolyard and neighborhood games, training systems, and fan communities. The sport demands endurance, technique, tactics, teamwork, and strategic thinking. Football has had a profound influence on popular culture, music, fashion, and politics, producing countless icons—from Pelé and Maradona to Messi and Ronaldo. Beyond gameplay, the practice involves coaching, refereeing, club and international governance, and the global industries of fandom, broadcasting, and merchandising. It stands as one of the most popular and recognizable practices in the world, uniting people regardless of age, gender, religion, or nationality.