Association football

Association football

The attacking player (#10) attempts to kick the ball into the net behind the opposing team's goalkeeper (here wearing red and yellow) to score a goal.
Highest governing body	FIFA
Nicknames	The beautiful game The World's Game[1][2]
First played	Mid-19th century England[3][4]
Characteristics
Contact	Yes
Team members	11 per side: Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
Mixed-sex	No, separate competitions
Type	Team sport ball game
Equipment	Football (or soccer ball) Football boots Shin pads Kits Gloves (for goalkeepers)
Venue	Football pitch (also known as football field, football ground, soccer field, soccer pitch, or "pitch")
Glossary	Glossary of association football
Presence
Country or region	Worldwide
Olympic	Men's since the 1900 Olympics and women's since the 1996 Olympics
Paralympic	5-a-side since 2004 and 7-a-side from 1984 to 2016

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer,^[a] is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing team. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for a total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it is the world's most popular sport.

Association football is played in accordance with the Laws of the Game, a set of rules that has been in effect since 1863 and maintained by the IFAB since 1886. The game is played with a football that is 68–70 cm (27–28 in) in circumference. The two teams compete to score goals by getting the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts, under the bar, and fully across the goal line). When the ball is in play, the players mainly use their feet, but may also use any other part of their body, except for their hands or arms, to control, strike, or pass the ball; the head, chest, and thighs are commonly used. Only the goalkeepers may use their hands and arms, and that only within the penalty area. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner. Depending on the format of the competition, an equal number of goals scored may result in a draw being declared with 1 point awarded to each team, or the game may go into extra time or a penalty shoot-out.^[5]

Internationally, association football is governed by FIFA. Under FIFA, there are six continental confederations: AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA. National associations (e.g. the FA in England, U.S. Soccer in the United States, etc.) are responsible for managing the game in their own countries both professionally and at an amateur level, and coordinating competitions in accordance with the Laws of the Game. The most prestigious senior international competition is the FIFA World Cup. The men's World Cup is the most-viewed sporting event in the world, surpassing the Olympic Games.^[6] The most prestigious competition in European club football is the UEFA Champions League, which attracts an extensive television audience worldwide. The final of the men's Champions League is the most-watched annual sporting event in the world.^[7][8]

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