Soccerfootball

Soccerfootball is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. In most countries it is known as football; in the United States and Canada it is commonly called soccer. The primary objective is to score by getting the ball into the opponent's goal. The ball is usually played with the feet, with the head and torso also allowed, while handling is restricted to the goalkeeper within the penalty area.

A match consists of two halves of 45 minutes each, with stoppage time added at the referee’s discretion. The team with more goals wins, but many competitions use extra time and, if needed, a penalty shoot-out to decide a winner in knockout rounds. Each side fields eleven players, including one goalkeeper; teams may make substitutions within the limits set by the competition.

The sport originated in 19th-century Britain as organized football. The Football Association (FA) was founded in 1863 to codify the Laws of the Game. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) maintains those Laws, while FIFA, founded in 1904, governs international competition and coordinates the global calendar and rules.

Football’s governing structure includes a FIFA-run global framework and six continental confederations that oversee regional championships and qualification for world events. The FIFA World Cup is the premier international tournament, held every four years. Domestic leagues and cups, such as the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1, form the backbone of professional play, complemented by youth and women’s football programs worldwide.

Variants and related forms include futsal, played indoors with five-a-side teams, and beach soccer, played on sand.