Soccer is the world's most popular sport. It is the national sport of most European and Latin American countries, and of many other nations. Millions of people in more than 200 countries play soccer. Soccer's most famous international competition, the World Cup, is held every four years for both men and women.
In a soccer game, two teams of 11 players try to kick or head a ball into each other's goal. The team that scores the most goals wins. Players must kick the ball or hit it with their head or body. Only the goalkeepers can touch the ball with their hands.
Soccer as it is played today developed in the United Kingdom during the 1800's and quickly spread to many other countries. Until the mid-1900's, the game was not greatly popular in the United States. But today, it is one of the nation's fastest-growing sports.
In the United Kingdom and many other countries, soccer is called football or association football. The word soccer comes from assoc., an abbreviation for association.
