Soccer

Soccer, known as football in most countries outside the United States, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players 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. Players primarily use their feet to maneuver the ball, but they can also use other parts of their body except their arms and hands; only the goalkeeper is permitted to handle the ball within the penalty area. The game is governed by a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game, established by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, with millions of fans and players globally, and is played at various levels from amateur to professional. Major international competitions include the FIFA World Cup and continental tournaments like the UEFA European Championship and the Copa América.