Soccer is a team sport where players try to kick a ball into the opposing team's goal while the other team tries to stop them. Each team has eleven players, and except for the goalkeeper, no one can touch the ball with their hands. Players dribble, pass, and shoot using only their feet, heads, and bodies.

The game is called football in most of the world, since players use their feet to move the ball. Americans call it soccer to distinguish it from American football. Soccer is the world's most popular sport, played and watched by billions of people across every continent.

A soccer match usually lasts ninety minutes, divided into two forty-five-minute halves. The team that scores the most goals wins. What makes soccer exciting is its continuous flow: play rarely stops, and a single brilliant pass or shot can change everything in seconds. The sport rewards both individual skill (like dribbling past defenders) and teamwork (like setting up a perfect scoring opportunity for a teammate).

Professional soccer players compete in leagues and international tournaments like the World Cup, where countries send their best players to compete for a global championship. But you can also play soccer in your backyard with just a ball and a few friends.