Figuring out whether the sport is called Soccer or Football has been a silly lifelong struggle. In reality, it all depends on where you are in the world. In most places, like Europe, South America, and Africa, the game where you kick a ball into a net is called “football.”
The Soccer or Football Debate
Now, in the United States and a few other places, they call it “soccer.” Americans have their very own version of football, one where their players wear helmets and tackle each other (without crying to the ref every time they get hit), while occasionally kicking an oval ball for some extra points. They also have the world-famous Superbowl shows for their biggest match of the season, in fact, many outside the US tune into this specific show and then go back to their daily lives.
Soccer however, continue to grow in popularity despite its long-established presence in the world. In the states, the MLS has grown a lot, offering some really exciting games worth a bet or two, yet the sport cant escape its amateur spirit (which is probably why it also makes it so entertaining).
But I digress, the term “soccer” actually comes from an old nickname for association football in England, derived from “assoc” in “association.” Basically, both terms are ok to use, but “football” is the more globally recognized term.
The True Story
Yes, that means that it wasn’t Americans that unilaterally invented the term “soccer” just to differentiate it from their sport (many people still believe this). The British were behind the Soccer or Football debate all along!
Over time, as the sport spread internationally, most countries adopted the term “football” to describe the game where you kick a ball with your feet. However, in countries like the U.S. and Canada, where other forms of football like American and Canadian football were already popular, the name “soccer” stuck around to differentiate it from the others. That’s why you hear “soccer” in North America and “football” almost everywhere else.
How Different Countries use Soccer or Football
Most of the world keeps it simple: are you kicking a ball into a net? Then you’re playing “football”. This is true across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia (pretty much everywhere except a few countries), but then again, these countries don’t have other popular sports that involve kicking a ball with the foot either.
Now, in the United States and Canada, they call it “soccer.” This mainly has to do with the fact that both countries already had sports called “football”: American football in the U.S. and Canadian football in Canada. Since both of these are quite popular and involve more hand usage than foot, to avoid confusion, the U.S. and Canada adopted the term “soccer,” which as said earlier, comes from that old school abbreviation of “association football,” the original, formal name for the sport.
Australia is also another place where soccer is commonly used to refer to the sport. The Aussies also had their own versions of football, like Australian Rules Football, so the term is used to differentiate these two. That being said, they’ve been shifting towards using “football” more often, especially since the Australian soccer federation changed its name to align with the global standard. That’s one way to end the Soccer or Football debate!
The Aussies nevertheless cant deny their Rugby roots, as their National Team heavily favors a physical game where their height and speed compensates for other skills. Given their player rosters its actually surprising that they don’t have the record for the tallest soccer player ever, but that’s a discussion for another day I guess.
Anyways! while “football” is the globally accepted term, “soccer” remains prevalent in North America where the term originated to avoid confusion with the other popular types of football played there. It all comes down to each country’s sports culture.
Just to avoid any confusion, let’s go through some common misunderstandings stemming from both terms:
FAQs About Soccer and Football
Why do Americans call it soccer and Europeans call it football?
Americans use “soccer” due to having their own version of football, American football. Europeans call it “football” because the game primarily involves footwork.
Is soccer a correct term for the sport?
Yes, “soccer” is a correct term, originating from an abbreviation of “Association Football” in Britain.
Which term is more commonly used worldwide?
Globally, “football” is the more commonly used term.
Figuring out whether the sport is called Soccer or Football has been a silly lifelong struggle. In reality, it all depends on where you are in the world. In most places, like Europe, South America, and Africa, the game where you kick a ball into a net is called “football.”
The Soccer or Football Debate
Now, in the United States and a few other places, they call it “soccer.” Americans have their very own version of football, one where their players wear helmets and tackle each other (without crying to the ref every time they get hit), while occasionally kicking an oval ball for some extra points. They also have the world-famous Superbowl shows for their biggest match of the season, in fact, many outside the US tune into this specific show and then go back to their daily lives.
Soccer however, continue to grow in popularity despite its long-established presence in the world. In the states, the MLS has grown a lot, offering some really exciting games worth a bet or two, yet the sport cant escape its amateur spirit (which is probably why it also makes it so entertaining).
But I digress, the term “soccer” actually comes from an old nickname for association football in England, derived from “assoc” in “association.” Basically, both terms are ok to use, but “football” is the more globally recognized term.
The True Story
Yes, that means that it wasn’t Americans that unilaterally invented the term “soccer” just to differentiate it from their sport (many people still believe this). The British were behind the Soccer or Football debate all along!
Over time, as the sport spread internationally, most countries adopted the term “football” to describe the game where you kick a ball with your feet. However, in countries like the U.S. and Canada, where other forms of football like American and Canadian football were already popular, the name “soccer” stuck around to differentiate it from the others. That’s why you hear “soccer” in North America and “football” almost everywhere else.
How Different Countries use Soccer or Football
Most of the world keeps it simple: are you kicking a ball into a net? Then you’re playing “football”. This is true across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia (pretty much everywhere except a few countries), but then again, these countries don’t have other popular sports that involve kicking a ball with the foot either.
Now, in the United States and Canada, they call it “soccer.” This mainly has to do with the fact that both countries already had sports called “football”: American football in the U.S. and Canadian football in Canada. Since both of these are quite popular and involve more hand usage than foot, to avoid confusion, the U.S. and Canada adopted the term “soccer,” which as said earlier, comes from that old school abbreviation of “association football,” the original, formal name for the sport.
Australia is also another place where soccer is commonly used to refer to the sport. The Aussies also had their own versions of football, like Australian Rules Football, so the term is used to differentiate these two. That being said, they’ve been shifting towards using “football” more often, especially since the Australian soccer federation changed its name to align with the global standard. That’s one way to end the Soccer or Football debate!
The Aussies nevertheless cant deny their Rugby roots, as their National Team heavily favors a physical game where their height and speed compensates for other skills. Given their player rosters its actually surprising that they don’t have the record for the tallest soccer player ever, but that’s a discussion for another day I guess.
Anyways! while “football” is the globally accepted term, “soccer” remains prevalent in North America where the term originated to avoid confusion with the other popular types of football played there. It all comes down to each country’s sports culture.
Just to avoid any confusion, let’s go through some common misunderstandings stemming from both terms:
FAQs About Soccer and Football
Why do Americans call it soccer and Europeans call it football?
Americans use “soccer” due to having their own version of football, American football. Europeans call it “football” because the game primarily involves footwork.
Is soccer a correct term for the sport?
Yes, “soccer” is a correct term, originating from an abbreviation of “Association Football” in Britain.
Which term is more commonly used worldwide?
Globally, “football” is the more commonly used term.
Related Posts
Figuring out whether the sport is called Soccer or Football has been a silly lifelong struggle. In reality, it all depends on where you are in the world. In most places, like Europe, South America, and Africa, the game where you kick a ball into a net is called “football.”
The Soccer or Football Debate
Now, in the United States and a few other places, they call it “soccer.” Americans have their very own version of football, one where their players wear helmets and tackle each other (without crying to the ref every time they get hit), while occasionally kicking an oval ball for some extra points. They also have the world-famous Superbowl shows for their biggest match of the season, in fact, many outside the US tune into this specific show and then go back to their daily lives.
Soccer however, continue to grow in popularity despite its long-established presence in the world. In the states, the MLS has grown a lot, offering some really exciting games worth a bet or two, yet the sport cant escape its amateur spirit (which is probably why it also makes it so entertaining).
But I digress, the term “soccer” actually comes from an old nickname for association football in England, derived from “assoc” in “association.” Basically, both terms are ok to use, but “football” is the more globally recognized term.
The True Story
Yes, that means that it wasn’t Americans that unilaterally invented the term “soccer” just to differentiate it from their sport (many people still believe this). The British were behind the Soccer or Football debate all along!
Over time, as the sport spread internationally, most countries adopted the term “football” to describe the game where you kick a ball with your feet. However, in countries like the U.S. and Canada, where other forms of football like American and Canadian football were already popular, the name “soccer” stuck around to differentiate it from the others. That’s why you hear “soccer” in North America and “football” almost everywhere else.
How Different Countries use Soccer or Football
Most of the world keeps it simple: are you kicking a ball into a net? Then you’re playing “football”. This is true across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia (pretty much everywhere except a few countries), but then again, these countries don’t have other popular sports that involve kicking a ball with the foot either.
Now, in the United States and Canada, they call it “soccer.” This mainly has to do with the fact that both countries already had sports called “football”: American football in the U.S. and Canadian football in Canada. Since both of these are quite popular and involve more hand usage than foot, to avoid confusion, the U.S. and Canada adopted the term “soccer,” which as said earlier, comes from that old school abbreviation of “association football,” the original, formal name for the sport.
Australia is also another place where soccer is commonly used to refer to the sport. The Aussies also had their own versions of football, like Australian Rules Football, so the term is used to differentiate these two. That being said, they’ve been shifting towards using “football” more often, especially since the Australian soccer federation changed its name to align with the global standard. That’s one way to end the Soccer or Football debate!
The Aussies nevertheless cant deny their Rugby roots, as their National Team heavily favors a physical game where their height and speed compensates for other skills. Given their player rosters its actually surprising that they don’t have the record for the tallest soccer player ever, but that’s a discussion for another day I guess.
Anyways! while “football” is the globally accepted term, “soccer” remains prevalent in North America where the term originated to avoid confusion with the other popular types of football played there. It all comes down to each country’s sports culture.
Just to avoid any confusion, let’s go through some common misunderstandings stemming from both terms:
FAQs About Soccer and Football
Why do Americans call it soccer and Europeans call it football?
Americans use “soccer” due to having their own version of football, American football. Europeans call it “football” because the game primarily involves footwork.
Is soccer a correct term for the sport?
Yes, “soccer” is a correct term, originating from an abbreviation of “Association Football” in Britain.
Which term is more commonly used worldwide?
Globally, “football” is the more commonly used term.
Figuring out whether the sport is called Soccer or Football has been a silly lifelong struggle. In reality, it all depends on where you are in the world. In most places, like Europe, South America, and Africa, the game where you kick a ball into a net is called “football.”
The Soccer or Football Debate
Now, in the United States and a few other places, they call it “soccer.” Americans have their very own version of football, one where their players wear helmets and tackle each other (without crying to the ref every time they get hit), while occasionally kicking an oval ball for some extra points. They also have the world-famous Superbowl shows for their biggest match of the season, in fact, many outside the US tune into this specific show and then go back to their daily lives.
Soccer however, continue to grow in popularity despite its long-established presence in the world. In the states, the MLS has grown a lot, offering some really exciting games worth a bet or two, yet the sport cant escape its amateur spirit (which is probably why it also makes it so entertaining).
But I digress, the term “soccer” actually comes from an old nickname for association football in England, derived from “assoc” in “association.” Basically, both terms are ok to use, but “football” is the more globally recognized term.
The True Story
Yes, that means that it wasn’t Americans that unilaterally invented the term “soccer” just to differentiate it from their sport (many people still believe this). The British were behind the Soccer or Football debate all along!
Over time, as the sport spread internationally, most countries adopted the term “football” to describe the game where you kick a ball with your feet. However, in countries like the U.S. and Canada, where other forms of football like American and Canadian football were already popular, the name “soccer” stuck around to differentiate it from the others. That’s why you hear “soccer” in North America and “football” almost everywhere else.
How Different Countries use Soccer or Football
Most of the world keeps it simple: are you kicking a ball into a net? Then you’re playing “football”. This is true across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia (pretty much everywhere except a few countries), but then again, these countries don’t have other popular sports that involve kicking a ball with the foot either.
Now, in the United States and Canada, they call it “soccer.” This mainly has to do with the fact that both countries already had sports called “football”: American football in the U.S. and Canadian football in Canada. Since both of these are quite popular and involve more hand usage than foot, to avoid confusion, the U.S. and Canada adopted the term “soccer,” which as said earlier, comes from that old school abbreviation of “association football,” the original, formal name for the sport.
Australia is also another place where soccer is commonly used to refer to the sport. The Aussies also had their own versions of football, like Australian Rules Football, so the term is used to differentiate these two. That being said, they’ve been shifting towards using “football” more often, especially since the Australian soccer federation changed its name to align with the global standard. That’s one way to end the Soccer or Football debate!
The Aussies nevertheless cant deny their Rugby roots, as their National Team heavily favors a physical game where their height and speed compensates for other skills. Given their player rosters its actually surprising that they don’t have the record for the tallest soccer player ever, but that’s a discussion for another day I guess.
Anyways! while “football” is the globally accepted term, “soccer” remains prevalent in North America where the term originated to avoid confusion with the other popular types of football played there. It all comes down to each country’s sports culture.
Just to avoid any confusion, let’s go through some common misunderstandings stemming from both terms:
FAQs About Soccer and Football
Why do Americans call it soccer and Europeans call it football?
Americans use “soccer” due to having their own version of football, American football. Europeans call it “football” because the game primarily involves footwork.
Is soccer a correct term for the sport?
Yes, “soccer” is a correct term, originating from an abbreviation of “Association Football” in Britain.
Which term is more commonly used worldwide?
Globally, “football” is the more commonly used term.
