Soccer

Soccer, also known as football in most countries outside North America, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each. The objective of the game is to score goals by getting a spherical ball into the opposing team’s net, using primarily the feet, although players can also use their head and torso to control the ball. The game is played on a rectangular field, known as a pitch, with a goal at each end.

Soccer is governed by a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game, established by the International Football Association Board. The game consists of two halves, each typically lasting 45 minutes, with a brief halftime interval. The team with the most goals at the end of the match is declared the winner. If the match ends in a draw, different competitions have various rules for determining a winner, such as extra time or penalty shootouts.

Soccer is one of the most popular sports globally, attracting millions of players and fans and featuring prominent leagues and international competitions, such as the FIFA World Cup. The sport emphasizes skills like dribbling, passing, and shooting as well as teamwork and strategic play.