Association football
"Soccer" redirects here. For other uses, see Soccer (disambiguation). This article is about the sport of association football. For other codes of football, see Football. Association football The attacking player (No. 10) attempts to kick the ball beyond the opposing team's goalkeeper, between the goalposts, and beneath the crossbar to score a goal. Highest governing body FIFA Nicknames Football, soccer, the Beautiful Game, the World Game [1] First played Mid 19th century, England [2] [3] [4] Characteristics Contact Permitted (limited) Team members 11 per side (including goalkeeper) Mixed gender No, separate competitions Type Team sport, ball sport Equipment Football (or soccer ball) Venue Football pitch (also known as football field, football ground, soccer field, soccer pitch or simply "pitch") Glossary Glossary of association football Presence Country or region Worldwide Olympic Yes, men's since the 1900 Olympics and women's since the 1996 Olympics Par...