Soccer is a team sport popular throughout the world. It is also called as Football in many countries. It is a ball game played between two teams consisting of 11 players each.
Even in the ancient time, a ball game resembling modern day soccer was played in many countries. But it is not accurately possible to trace the history of soccer. The modern day soccer was probably started sometime in the 19th century England. Many experts say that soccer is a less violent variant of Rugby. The rules of modern day soccer were devised in England. It gained popularity throughout England in the 19th century and spread to many other countries throughout the world. In the year 1904, FIFA, the governing body was formed in France. Since then, FIFA has been organizing tournaments and promoting the game of soccer in many countries across the continents.
The game of soccer is played in a rectangular field. Usually, it is an outdoor game. But now-a-days indoor stadiums too have come up. The game is played with a big round ball. There are two posts called goal posts at the end of the edges. The object of the game is to kick the ball into the area between the goal posts of the opposing team. This action of kicking the ball into the goal is called a goal. The team that scores more number of goals is declared the winner. Sometimes the result may be called as a draw when both the teams score the same number of goals. A soccer game is overseen by a person called a referee. The referee is responsible controlling the players during a match. A normal soccer field is surrounded by galleries where the spectators can watch and enjoy the game in progress.
Soccer is a game immensely popular across Europe and Latin America. It is also becoming increasingly popular in the African and Asian continents. The traditional European superpowers of soccer include England, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary etc. The countries from erstwhile Soviet Union too have reasonably good soccer teams. Top Latin American teams include Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay etc. In recent times, Asian teams like China, Japan, Korea, have done very well in the International arena. The African continent too has produced a few excellent soccer playing teams.
World Cup Soccer Tournament is the most prestigious soccer tournament in the world. It is staged every four years in different countries of the world. In this tournament the national teams of the soccer playing nations take part. Apart from this, there are various popular tournaments involving the top soccer playing clubs of the world. Spanish league, German League, and the English Premier League are the most popular leagues. There is also a Euro cup which takes place every two years where the top European teams participate.
