Soccer is is a team sport played between two teams each consisting of 11 players which is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world.

The object of the game is to score by manoeuvring the ball into the opposing goal; only the goalkeepers may use their hands or arms to propel the ball in general play.

A ball game, it is played on a rectangular grass field, or occasionally on artificial turf, with a goal at each end of the field.

The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extended time, depending on the format of the competition.

Football is governed internationally by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

The most prestigious international football competition is the World Cup, held every four years. This event, the most widely viewed and famous in the world, boasts twice the audience of the Summer Olympics.

Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to play the ball with their hands or arms, but they are only allowed to do so within the penalty area in front of their own goal.

Due to the original formulation of the Laws in England and the early supremacy of the four British football associations within IFAB, the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in imperial units. The Laws now express dimensions with approximate metric equivalents, though popular use tends to continue to use traditional units.