| The game of soccer, played between two teams | | | | next oldest are the Scottish FA (1873), the FA of |
| of 11 players each, is by far the most popular | | | | Wales (1875) and the Irish FA (1880). Strictly |
| sport in the world. Today, football is played at a | | | | speaking, at the time of the first international |
| professional level all over the world, and millions of | | | | match, England had no other partner association |
| people regularly go to football stadium to follow | | | | against which to play. The spread of soccer |
| their favourite team, whilst billions more watch the | | | | outside of Great Britain, mainly due to the British |
| game on television. Since, soccer evokes great | | | | influence abroad, started slow, but it soon |
| passions and plays an important role in the life of | | | | gathered momentum and spread rapidly to all |
| individual fans, local communities, and even nations; | | | | parts of the world and today it is an undeniable |
| it is therefore often claimed to be the most | | | | truth that the game has die hard fans all over the |
| popular sport in the world. | | | | globe. |
| The game is played with a ball on a rectangular | | | | Scholars might have conflicting views on the |
| grass field with a goal at each end of the field. | | | | origins of the game and the influences that certain |
| The object of the game is to score by | | | | cults may have had on its evolution, but one thing |
| manoeuvring the ball into the opposing goal. The | | | | is absolute truth: football has flourished for over a |
| team that scores the most goals by the end of | | | | thousand years in diverse rudimentary forms, in |
| the match wins. A game is officiated by a | | | | the very region which we describe as its home, |
| referee, who has "full authority to enforce the | | | | England and the British Isles. |
| Laws of the Game in connection with the match | | | | Football is governed internationally by the |
| to which he has been appointed" and whose | | | | International Federation of Association Football |
| decisions are final. The referee is assisted by two | | | | (FIFA). The most prestigious international football |
| assistant referees. A standard adult football match | | | | competition is the World Cup, held every four |
| consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, | | | | years. More than 190 national teams compete in |
| known as halves. There is usually a 15-minute | | | | qualifying tournaments within the scope of |
| "half-time" break between halves. The end of the | | | | continental confederations for a place in the finals. |
| match is known as full-time. | | | | Since 1900, Summer Olympic Games also holds a |
| The contemporary history of soccer dates back | | | | football tournamnet. After the World Cup, the |
| to more than 100 years. It all began in 1863 in | | | | most important football competitions are the |
| England, when rugby football and association | | | | continental championships, which are organised by |
| football branched off on their different courses | | | | each continental confederation and contested |
| and the world's first football association was | | | | between national teams. These are the European |
| founded - The Football Association in England. Both | | | | Championship (UEFA), the Copa América |
| forms of football have a common base and both | | | | (CONMEBOL), African Cup of Nations (CAF), the |
| have a long and intricately branched ancestral | | | | Asian Cup (AFC), the CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| tree. After the English Football Association, the | | | | (CONCACAF) and the OFC Nations Cup (OFC). |