Soccer

Soccer, also known as football in many countries outside of 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 the ball into the opposing team’s net using any part of the body except the arms and hands (goalkeepers are allowed to use their hands within their penalty area). The game is played on a rectangular field, known as a pitch, which has 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 (IFAB). The game consists of two halves of 45 minutes each, with a 15-minute halftime interval. If the match ends in a draw, various methods such as extra time or penalty shootouts can be used to determine the winner, depending on the competition rules.

Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world, with a vast global following and numerous professional leagues and tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup, which is a premier international event. The sport promotes teamwork, strategy, and physical fitness, and it has a significant cultural and social impact in many communities.