Football vs. Soccer — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 30, 2023
Football generally refers to a game played with a spherical ball, known as soccer in the U.S. Soccer is the U.S. term for this globally recognized sport.
Difference Between Football and Soccer
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Football is a term used worldwide for a game involving a spherical ball, primarily played with feet. Soccer, on the other hand, is the term used in the United States and a few other countries to refer to the same sport.
Football, in its global context, is governed by FIFA and is known for its World Cup. Soccer, as called in the U.S., is also governed by FIFA but is less popular than American football, a different sport.
The term football, outside of the U.S., has a deep cultural significance and is the most popular sport worldwide. Soccer in the U.S. has gained popularity but often falls behind other sports like American football and basketball in viewership.
Football matches typically consist of two 45-minute halves, a format followed in soccer games in the U.S. too. Soccer, however, is often considered a secondary sport in American culture.
Football clubs globally have massive fan followings, with leagues like the English Premier League or La Liga. Soccer in the U.S. has its league, Major League Soccer (MLS), but it doesn't yet command the same global audience.
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Comparison Chart
Global Terminology
Commonly used worldwide
Used primarily in the U.S. and a few other countries
Popularity
Most popular sport globally
Less popular in the U.S. compared to American football
Governing Body
Governed by FIFA
Also governed by FIFA
Cultural Significance
Deeply ingrained in many cultures
Growing but less ingrained in American culture
Major Tournaments
FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, etc.
Major League Soccer (MLS) in the U.S.
Compare with Definitions
Football
Known as soccer in the U.S.
In the U.S., people often say soccer instead of football.
Soccer
Gaining popularity in the U.S.
Soccer has been steadily growing in popularity in American culture.
Football
Involves two teams of eleven players.
A standard football game has twenty-two players on the field.
Soccer
Has a major league, MLS.
Major League Soccer is the primary soccer league in the U.S.
Football
Played primarily with feet.
The essence of football is its focus on footwork and ball control.
Soccer
Consists of two teams of eleven players.
Each soccer team has eleven players, including a goalkeeper.
Football
Team sport played with a spherical ball.
Football is celebrated globally, especially during the World Cup.
Soccer
Played with a spherical ball.
Soccer involves skillful control of a spherical ball.
Football
Has various forms like American football, rugby.
In the U.S., football often refers to American football, not soccer.
Soccer
American term for global football.
Soccer in the U.S. refers to the sport known as football elsewhere.
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word football normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used.
Soccer
A form of football played by two teams of eleven players with a round ball which may not be handled during play except by the goalkeepers.
Football
Any of various forms of team game involving kicking (and in some cases also handling) a ball, in particular (in the UK) soccer or (in the US) American football
A football club
A football match
Soccer
A game played on a rectangular field with net goals at either end in which two teams of 11 players each try to drive a ball into the other's goal by kicking, heading, or using any part of the body except the arms and hands. The goalie is the only player who may touch or move the ball with the arms or hands.
Football
A ball used in football, either round (as in soccer) or oval (as in rugby and American football) and typically made of leather or plastic and filled with compressed air.
Soccer
Indoor soccer.
Football
A briefcase containing authentication codes and other items that allow the US president to authorize a nuclear strike at any time
Wherever the president travels, a military aide stays close with the football
Whose fingers would we prefer to have on America's nuclear football?
Soccer
Association football.
Football
A game played by two teams of 11 players each on a rectangular, 100-yard-long field with goal lines and goalposts at either end, the object being to gain possession of a ball and advance it in running or passing plays across the opponent's goal line or kick it through the air between the opponent's goalposts.
Soccer
(Australian rules football) To kick the football directly off the ground, without using one's hands.
Football
The inflated oval ball, slightly pointed at both ends, that is used in this game.
Soccer
A football game in which two teams of 11 players try to kick or head a ball into the opponents' goal
Football
Soccer.
Football
Rugby.
Football
The ball used in soccer or rugby.
Football
(Informal) A problem or issue that is discussed among groups or persons without being settled
The issue of tax reform became a political football.
Football
(general) A sport played on foot in which teams attempt to get a ball into a goal or zone defended by the other team.
Roman and medieval football matches were more violent than any modern type of football.
Football
Association football: a game in which two teams each contend to get a round ball into the other team's goal primarily by kicking the ball. Known as soccer in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
Each team scored three goals when they played football.
Football
American football: a game played on a field of 100 yards long and 53 1/3 yards wide in which two teams of 11 players attempt to get an ovoid ball to the end of each other's territory.
Each team scored two touchdowns when they played football.
Football
Canadian football: a game played on a field of 110 yards long and 65 yards wide in which two teams of 12 players attempt to get an ovoid ball to the end of each other's territory.
They played football in the snow.
Football
Australian rules football.
Football
Gaelic football: a field game played with similar rules to hurling, but using hands and feet rather than a stick, and a ball, similar to, yet smaller than a soccer ball.
Football
Rugby league.
Football
Rugby union.
Football
(countable) The ball used in any game called "football".
The player kicked the football.
Football
(uncountable) Practice of these particular games, or techniques used in them.
Football
An item of discussion, particularly in a back-and-forth manner
That budget item became a political football.
Football
The leather briefcase containing classified nuclear war plans which is always near the US President.
Football
To play football.
Football
An inflated ball to be kicked in sport, usually made in India rubber, or a bladder incased in Leather.
Football
The game played with a football{1}, by two opposing teams of players moving the ball between goals at opposite ends of a rectangular playing field. Outside the United States football refers to soccer, and in England, also to rugby, but in the United States the shape of the ball and the rules of the game are different.
Football
Soccer or rugby.
Football
Something which is treated in a rough manner, usually as part of a dispute; as, a political football.
Football
Any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal
Football
The inflated oblong ball used in playing American football
Common Curiosities
Why is it called soccer in the U.S.?
It's derived from "association football" to distinguish it from American football.
Is football the same as soccer?
Yes, in a global context, but in the U.S., football can mean American football.
Which term is used more globally?
Football is the more widely used term globally.
What's the major soccer league in the U.S.?
Major League Soccer (MLS) is the primary league.
Are the rules of soccer and football the same?
Yes, they refer to the same sport and follow the same rules.
Why is football more popular globally?
It has deep cultural roots and is widely accessible.
Is soccer in the Olympics?
Yes, soccer is an Olympic sport.
Are the field dimensions the same in football and soccer?
Yes, they follow the same field dimensions.
Do football and soccer use the same kind of ball?
Yes, both are played with a spherical ball.
Is soccer growing in the U.S.?
Yes, soccer has been gaining popularity in the U.S.
Is soccer called football in the UK?
Yes, it's commonly referred to as football in the UK and most other countries.
Can football mean different sports?
Yes, in the U.S., football often refers to American football.
Do football and soccer have different governing bodies?
No, both are governed by FIFA.
What's the most prestigious football/soccer tournament?
The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious.
Are women's football and soccer popular?
Yes, women's football/soccer has a growing global audience.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
