Football (Soccer)/Printable version

Football or soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. One of the reasons is that the only equipment the sport needs is a ball, cleats, shinguard, and any markers for the goals. Bring in two teams and the game is on. Informal games can therefore be very easily set up.

The game consists of two teams of 11 players. One of the players is considered a goalkeeper (goalie) and that player's objective is not to allow the ball to go into the goal. The goalkeeper is the only player who may handle the ball but only in the penalty area that (s)he is defending. The other ten field players' objective is to score by putting the ball into their opponent's goal, while trying to avoid conceding goals. They do this by dribbling, passing, and eventually shooting the ball. The field players can use any part of their body except their hands or arms. The duration of the game is 90 minutes, with a change of ends and an interval of not more than 15 minutes after 45 minutes. The referee may make allowance for time lost in each half. Once the game is over, the team that scores the most goals (the number of times the ball goes in the goal) is declared the winner. In the case of a draw, and depending on the rules of the competition, a result may be reached by extra time (of 30 minutes duration) or a penalty shoot-out.

The Field

A typical football field

The field must be rectangular and either natural or artificial. The field size is directly proportional in league and international matches. Generally, the football field should be 105 x 68 meters (115 yd × 74 yd), but often each field has different dimensions. The longer sides of the field are called touch lines, while the shorter sides are called goal lines. Fields are divided into two halves with each team defending their own goal. Adjacent to the goal lines are the 18-yard and 6-yard boxes, which signify where the goal and goalkeeper are. The 18-yard box is also known as the penalty area, from where penalty shots can be taken after a foul is committed by the opponent team.

The Ball

The ball used in football is spherical, 27-28cm in circumference and 14-16 oz (410-450g) mass. The balls used in a league or international match have to be approved by FIFA. Each professional league around the world uses its own specific ball. There is some overlap, for example both the Spanish La Liga and the English Premier League use the Nike Odrem (2015). Furthermore, each World Cup offers a new and unique ball reflecting to the host country's culture.

The Players

The players are 11 on both sides of teams in a match, however substitutes are also available. There are four classes in which the 11 players are divided:-

• Goalkeepers: He/She has to try and stop the other team from scoring (kicking the ball into his goal). The goalkeeper is the only player who can touch the ball with his/her hands.
• Defenders: They try and stop the other team from scoring by protecting their goal.
• Midfielders: They are the players in between the defenders and strikers. They pass the ball to the strikers so they can score. Midfielders also help defenders (by defending their goal) and strikers (by trying to score themselves).
• Strikers (also known as forwards or attackers): They try to score goals by kicking the ball into the other team's goal.

The Formations

Although there are 11 players on a team there are several commonly used ways to arrange them. The three most commonly used formations today are probably the 4-5-1, 4-3-3, and the 4-4-2 (note: first # is the # of defenders, the second midfielders, and third forwards) although there are some different variations of each. Two variations of a 4-4-2 are the "flat back four" and a "diamond back" or "sweeper, stopper" where the back four defenders form a diamond with the stopper ahead of the sweeper. Other less commonly used formations are the 3-6-1, 4-2-4, and the 3-5-2. Changes can be made in the formations according to the position of the game. If a team has scored only one goal, they can change formations in the closing stages of the match or they can put more players forward to score more goals when they are trailing by a goal.

The Referees

There are four referees. The centre referee has sole authority, but two assistant referees who officiate from the touchline may advise him, particularly on issues of offsides and whether the ball has left the pitch, or draw his attention to infringements that he may have missed. The fourth referee stands off the pitch in between both teams' benches and controls substitutions and keeps track of the games goals, bookings and ejections.

The Duration

A football match consists of two halves and each half is 45 minutes long. Between the two halves, there is an interval, which is not more than 15 minutes long.

Stoppage time (also called injury time) is the time added on at the end of each half at the discretion of the referee. The stoppage time added is roughly proportional to the length of delays in the game. These delays may be due to injuries, time lost through substitutions, general time wasting etc. Although these may seem insignificant, stoppage time can be crucial for losing teams to equalize or even win. A notable example is the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Atletico Madrid was leading 1-0 when Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid equalized in stoppage time. The game went into extra time whereby Real won 4-1 leading to their 10th European title. Another instance in point is the 1998-99 UEFA Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. Bayern Munich scored an early goal and controlled most of the match, until Manchester United turned things around with two goals in the 91^st and 93rd minutes of the game to win 2-1. In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Brazil scored two goals against Costa Rica. Countinho scored a goal in the 91^st minute, and another by Neymar in the 97^th. Also, in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Korea scored two goals against Germany, making it the earliest exit for the defending champions since 1938. Kim Young-gwon scored in the 92^nd minute; Son Heung-min scored in the 96^th minute.

If tied at the end of regular time, in some competitions the game may go into extra time, which consists of two further 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, the teams proceed to penalty shoot outs (known officially in the Laws of the Game as "kicks from the penalty mark") to determine the winner. Note that goals scored during extra time periods are considered part of the final score of the game, unlike kicks from the penalty mark which are only used to decide the team that progresses to the next stage of the tournament.

In competitions in which each round involves the two teams playing each other twice, known as two-legged ties, the winner is the team with the highest aggregate score over the two matches. If this results in a draw, the away goals rule is usually applied to determine which team progresses: the goals scored by each team away from their nominated venue being compared. Should results still be equal following this calculation, the game will go into extra time. If the score is still tied after extra time, kicks from the penalty mark are usually required. Other competitions may require a tied game to be replayed, but that is a very rare rule.

Scoring

130px|right A goal is scored when the ball crosses the goal line entirely, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided the attacking side has not committed an offence. Obviously, the most common way of scoring is by kicking the ball, but the next most common way is to hit the ball with a player's head, more commonly known as 'heading the ball'. Soccer balls headed by highly skilled players can travel over 20 miles per hour.

Offside

The application of the offside law is best considered in three steps: Offside position, Offside offence, and Offside sanction.

Offside position

A player is in an offside position if "he is nearer to his opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second last opponent", unless he is in his own half of the field of play. A player level with the second last opponent is considered to be in an onside position. Note that the last two defenders can be either the goalkeeper and another defender, or two ordinary defenders. Also note that offside position is determined when the ball is touched/played by a team-mate - a player's offside position status is not then altered by subsequent runs by players of either side.

It is important to note that being in an offside position is not an offence in itself.

Offside offence

A player in an offside position is only committing an offside offence if, "at the moment the ball touches or is played by one of his team", the player is in the referee's opinion involved in active play by: interfering with play; interfering with an opponent; or gaining an advantage by being in that position.

Determining whether a play is in "active play" can be complex. A player is not committing an offside offence if the player receives the ball directly from a throw-in, goal kick or corner kick.

FIFA issued new guidelines for interpreting the offside law in 2003 and these were incorporated in law 11 in July 2005. The new wording seeks to more precisely define the three cases as follows:

• Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a teammate.
• Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.
• Gaining an advantage by being in an offside position means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a post or crossbar or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position.

The referees' interpretation of these new definitions is still proving controversial till this day, largely over what movements a player in an offside position can make without being judged to be interfering with an opponent.

Offside sanction

The sanction for an offside offence is an indirect free kick to the opposing team, from where the offence occurred.

Officiating

In enforcing this law, the referee depends greatly on his assistant referee, who generally keeps in line with the second last defender in his relevant end.

The assistant referees' task with regards to off-side can be difficult, as they need to keep up with attacks and counter attacks, consider which players are in an offside position when the ball is played (often from the other end of the field), and then determine whether the offside positioned players become involved in active play. The risk of false judgement is further enhanced by the foreshortening effect, which occurs when the distance between attacking player and the assistant referee is significantly different from the distance to the defending player, and the assistant referee is not directly in line with the defender. The difficulty of off-side officiating is often underestimated by spectators. Trying to judge if a player is level with an opponent at the moment the ball is kicked is not easy: if an attacker and a defender are running in opposite directions, they can be two metres apart in a tenth of a second.

Free Kicks

Free kicks are of two types:

• Direct Free Kick
• Indirect Free Kick

Direct free kick is most probably rewarded to a team if the opponent's player touches the ball with his hands or arms (unless he is the goalkeeper within the penalty area) or fouls a player on the other team. An indirect free kick is usually awarded for an infraction of the rules, not necessarily aimed at a player of the opposing team. Direct free kicks are allowed to go into the goal with only one person touching the ball.

Indirect free kicks are indicated by the referee raising his arm from the time the foul is awarded until it is first touched by a player other than the taker of the free kick. If a shot from an indirect free kick goes into the opponents' goal without having been touched by another player, no goal is scored and a goal kick is awarded to the defending team. A difficult concept for many to grasp is advantage, a player may foul another player and yet a foul may not be called if that players team does not lose the advantage. An example would be if a player was knocked down in the course of passing the ball to the team mate who scored.

Penalties

A penalty kick is the kick rewarded to a team whose opponent's player commits a foul inside its own box for which the sanction is a direct free kick. The ball is kept at a spot marked 12 yards from the centre of the goal. No player other than the penalty taker is allowed within 10 yards of the ball until it has been struck: the goalkeeper is the only other player allowed in the penalty area during this time, and he may not advance from his line until the penalty has been taken. The taker cannot touch the ball again until another player has touched it. A goal is rewarded if the ball goes in the net.

Throw-ins

If the ball leaves the field of play at the side-line, play is restarted with a throw-in (or throw-on). The thrower must have both feet on the ground, outside of the playing area, and must throw the ball from behind his head with two hands. A goal is not scored if the ball is thrown into the goal from a throw-in without it touching another player.

Goal Kick

If a member of the other team is the last person to touch the ball before it crosses the goal line or if the ball enters the goal directly from a goal-kick, throw in or indirect free kick, a member of the defending team restarts play with a kick from inside the area marked by a line 6 yards from the goal. The ball is not in play until it leaves the penalty area.

Corner Kick

If a member of the defending team is the last person to touch the ball before it crosses the goal line or if the ball enters the goal directly from a goal-kick, throw in or indirect free kick taken by the defending team, a member of the attacking team restarts play with a kick from the quarter circle at the corner of the pitch nearest to where the ball left the pitch.

For more information on the basics, see FIFA Laws Of The Game or Football Online.

FIFA Divisions

The countries, teams and their leagues are organized into divisions as shown in the following map.

Football League 3/FIFA Division

Teams

Mexico Wolves

Atlanta Kings

Atlanta Liverpool

Pittsburgh Wolves

Cleveland Bulls

Cleveland Bears

CONCACAF: all of North and Central America, the Caribbean island countries as well as Guyana and Suriname in South America.

CONMEBOL: the ten remaining South American countries.

UEFA: the whole of Europe plus some countries in Asia.

AFC: the rest of Asia plus Australia, which joined on 1 January 2006, having previously been part of the OFC.

CAF: the whole of Africa.

OFC: New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands including Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia.

Confederations, Leagues And Teams

Each division has a confederation which manages a number of leagues within its territory. Let's start with the well-known European confederation, UEFA.

Football League 3

FS1/NBCSN

Mexico Wolves

Atlanta Kings

Atlanta Liverpool

Pittsburgh Wolves

Cleveland Bulls

Cleveland Bears

UEFA

UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) is the governing confederation of all European teams and leagues. Many prominent leagues and teams originate from UEFA members such as Germany, England, Spain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland and others.

FA Premier League

In 1992 the top division of clubs in England formed a breakaway league, enabling them to take a larger share of income from media rights in comparison to the rest of the football league. The Premier League (originally Premiership) currently consists of 20 clubs.

The top four teams in the Premier League currently qualify for the UEFA Champions League (at various stages during the qualifying process). The fifth place club qualifies for the UEFA Europa League, although extra clubs often qualify on the basis of league position depending on the winners of domestic cup competitions. The bottom three clubs are automatically relegated.

In terms of income, viewing figures and attendances the Premier League is the most successful domestic football competition in the world, and compares favorably across all sports. However many football fans within England are concerned with the vast sums of money involved, while clubs in the lower divisions struggle, with many entering administration and some going out of business. In addition the formation of the Premier League has led to a generation of fans growing up with football as a TV-only activity (as live games become more expensive to cater for corporate hospitality). This has led to the slow death of the local football culture which developed over the last 150 years in England.

Manchester United

Manchester United Football Club is an English Premier League football club that plays at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester and is one of the most successful clubs in Europe. The club was formed in 1878, as the team Newton Heath F.C. It joined the Football League in 1892, and have only been relegated once since 1938. The mean attendances of the games are higher than any English football league team for all but six seasons starting in 1964. The team won 38 trophies under Alex Ferguson. In 1968, Manchester United became the first European Cup champion from England, defeating Benfica 4-1. Their second European Cup came in 1999 as part of the club's famous Treble. Manchester United has been champions of England 20 times, and have won the FA Cup 12 times. Since the late 1990s, Manchester United has been one of the richest clubs in the world. Jose Mourinho is the current manager, with Wayne Rooney being the captain. Manchester's colours are red (home), blue (away), and white (third colours). Manchester United has classic rivalries with Liverpool, Leeds United, and cross town rivals, Manchester City. The club have won 3 UEFA Champions League titles. Surprisingly,the only honour Manchester United has not won is the UEFA Europa League. Many famous players have featured for the club, such as Peter Schmeichel,Gary Neville,Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Andy Cole, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Teddy Sheringham, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Angel Di Maria, Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Arsenal

Known by the nickname of The Gunners, Arsenal are old rivals of both, Manchester United and Chelsea. Arsenal are currently playing in the new Emirates Stadium. They're currently managed by Arsène Wenger.

Chelsea

Known by the nickname of The Blues, they play at Stamford Bridge and are currently managed by Antonio Conte. They are currently owned by Russian oil-baron Roman Abramovich. Chelsea's squad features some famous players such as John Terry, oscar, Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Falcao, Willian, Pedro, Thibaut Courtois and Cesc Fàbregas.

Liverpool

Liverpool Football Club is a Premier League football club based in Liverpool, currently managed by Jürgen Klopp. Liverpool F.C. is one of the most successful clubs in England and has won more European trophies than any other English team with five European Cups, three UEFA Cups, and three UEFA Super Cups. The club has also won eighteen League titles, seven FA Cups and a record eight League Cups. In spite of their successful history, Liverpool are yet to win a Premier League title since its inception in 1992.

Liverpool was founded in 1892 and joined the Football League the following year. The club has played at Anfield since its formation. The most successful period in Liverpool's history was the 1970s and '80s when Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley led the club to eleven league titles and seven European trophies.

The club's supporters have been involved in two major tragedies. The first was the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985, in which charging Liverpool fans caused a wall to collapse, killing 39 Juventus supporters and resulting in English clubs being banned from European competitions for five years. In the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, 96 Liverpool supporters lost their lives in a crush against perimeter fencing. None of these tragedies were the fault of Liverpool supporters.

Liverpool has long-standing rivalries with neighbours Everton and with Manchester United. The team changed from red shirts and white shorts to an all-red home strip in 1964. The club's anthem is "You'll Never Walk Alone".

League 1

Let's look at some French ruling clubs.

Olympique Lyonnais

Known sometimes as Les Gones or OL, Lyon are champions and ruling Ligue 1 for 4 years in streak. It has a strong lineup and is widely known throughout Europe which includes the great players such as Anderson and Sidney Gouvou. They play at Stade de Gerland and are managed by Claude Puel.

Olympique de Marseille

Known commonly as Marseille or OM, this team may not be known well these days but it had a great history. It even includes famous Spaniard Fernando Morientes. They play at Stade Vélodrome and are managed by José Anigo.

AS Monaco

AS Monaco is one of the more prestigious football clubs in France. A major accomplishment was reaching the 2004 Champions League finals. They play at Stade Louis-II in Monaco.

Paris Saint-Germain

They play at Parc de Princes and are managed by Unai Emery. The club has won six Ligue 1 titles and its roster features big names like Neymar, Ángel Di María, Marco Verratti, Edinson Cavani, Dani Alves and Thiago Silva.

Bundesliga

The Germany had a great history including their players, morale, fan support and the main thing, glory. It is the most watched football league,in 2007 there were 40,775(stadium)

FC Bayern München

Known sometimes as Die Bayern, they have won 25 league titles. They have five European titles. They currently play their home games at the Allianz Arena in Munich and are managed by Carlo Ancelotti.

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund is the second most successful club in Bundesliga having won eight titles. Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang plays for Dortmund.

Bayer Leverkusen

They may now have been forgotten but this club has made the rise to the offensive Bayern Munich by selling the jewels Zé Roberto, Lúcio and Michael Ballack. Although their form has slipped in recent seasons(03,04) due to the loss of Ballack,Lúcio etc.,the team has played better in 05 and 06 . They play at BayArena in Leverkusen.

Schalke 04

They play at Veltins-Arena.

SV Werder Bremen

They have been raised now and are enjoying this new generation, the Werder Bremen has a variety of good players including Diego and Torsten Frings. They play at Weserstadion.

Serie A

The Italians do have a number of excellent teams and star players. These are some "Calcio" kings, "Calcio = Italian football" for here.

Juventus

Juve are referred by many names and are the true Italian kings. They have a beautiful lineup of 5-star players with all offensive and defensive categories including Gianluigi Buffon, Pavel Nedvěd, Alessandro Del Piero, David Trézéguet, Christiano Ronaldo just to name a few. They play at Delle Alpi in Turin and are managed by Didier Deschamps.

AC Milan

One part of the Milan brothers (Inter & AC), the AC Milan definitely is out-of-question because of their good players, unbreakable morale and glory. They play at Stadio San Siro.

Inter Milan

The other part of Milan brothers, Inter is likely leveled with their arch-rivals, AC Milan. Playing in the same stadium, San Siro, they also have good players like Diego Militto, Pazzini, Lucio and Javier Zanetti. They are managed by Stefano Pioli. In 2009–2010 season, Inter win the European treble under José Mourinho.

La Liga

Spanish La Liga is the second most-watched league because of its reputation among other leagues by including many great legends and current players. Here are some Kings, España style.

Real Madrid

Known as Los Galacticos, Real Madrid is currently the 2nd the richest club in the world, behind that of Manchester United. It has a very well-known and excellent lineup including Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, Pepe, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and many more. They have a good history and are still good. They hold a record of four UEFA Champions League titles and six European Trophies. Their home ground is Santiago Bernabeu stadium. They have achieved La Decima in 2014 winning their tenth European title

FC Barcelona

Known simply as Barça, they are one of the modern ruling generations of football today. With a strong lineup including Luis Suárez, Neymar, Lionel Messi and many more. They play at Camp Nou (sometimes referred as Nou Camp) and are managed by former player Luis Enrique. Barça is the only club to have won treble twice. Formed in 1899, Barcelona has won 24 La Liga titles and five European titles.

(F.) Primeira Liga

Although not known so much maybe, but Primeira Liga do consists of great honored teams. Here are some of them.

Benfica

Benfica is the most successful club in Portugal. It has a average lineup but superb morale. Some famous players are Luisão, Maxi Pereira, Nicolás Gaitán, Júlio César, and others. They play at the Estádio da Luz and are managed by Jorge Jesus.

FC Porto

FC Porto is the second most successful club in Portugal. It has a good variety of players with a good morale. They play at the Estádio do Dragão and are managed by Julen Lopetegui. Some famous players are Jackson Martinez, Quaresma, Quintero and others.

Sporting Lisbon

Sporting Lisbon is the third most successful club in Portugal. It has players with a inspiring hope, not bad. They play at the Estádio José Alvalade XXI and are managed by Marco Silva.

(G.) Dutch Eredivisie

They may have been forgotten but they are relived. Here are some Dutch teams which are ruling these days.

Traditionally, the big three of the Dutch soccer consists of Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV.

AFC Ajax Amsterdam

Ajax is the biggest club of The Netherlands which has got a superior class lineup and good morale. They're managed by Henk ten Cate. In the Netherlands, Ajax is known to play the 'prettiest' football. The youth department of Ajax is considered to be the best of the world.

Ajax won the European Cup in 1971, 1972, 1973 and in 1995, the UEFA Cup in 1992 and the European Cupwinners Cup in 1987. (Former) famous players include Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert, Jaap Stam and many more.

Feyenoord Rotterdam

Feyenoord is a team that is known for its good morale and team-building, which makes them sometimes win over better skilled teams. Feyenoord won the European Cup and World Club Cup in 1970, and the UEFA Cup in 1974 and 2002.

(Former) famous players include Willem van Hanegem, Mario Been, Ruud Gullit, Ove Kindvall, Coen Moulijn and John de Wolf.

PSV Eindhoven

PSV is a team from Eindhoven, founded by Philips, which is still the sponsor. The biggest successes were achieved in 1978 when the club won the UEFA cup, and in 1988, when the club wins the European Champions Cup.

Some (former) famous players of PSV are Romario, Ronaldo, Ruud Gullit, Luc Nilis, Ronald Koeman, Arjen Robben,Ruud van Nistelrooy, Philip Cocu and Jaap Stam. The most successful coach is beyond any doubt Guus Hiddink, who worked for the team from 1983 to 1990 and from 2002 to 2006.

PSV's nickname is boeren, which means peasants. The fans use this to distinguish themselves from the big clubs from the big cities in the west of the Netherlands.

(H.) Other Great European Teams

Apart from the leagues, they're also some minor leagues with superb teams that are also known throughout Europe. Here are they.

Olympiacos - Greece

Olympiacos is a well-known club of Greece. It's mainly rivaled with Panathinaikos. With a lineup including Rivaldo, they're managed by Trond Sollied.

Steaua Bucharest - Romania

Steaua has spent all its history in the country's top-flight league, and has finished below the sixth spot for only five times.Steaua made it to a European Cup final, which they won in front of FC Barcelona on penalties.Subsequently, the team never relegated and is currently one of the 2 teams to have only played inside the first league, along with Dinamo București.

Panathinaikos - Greece

Panathinaikos is clearly a good club of Greece,with 19 Greek championships and 16 Greek cups. Currently it's managed by Jasmiko Velic.

Rangers - Scotland

Rangers FC are by far the most successful club in the world when it comes to winning the national title. They have achieved this on 53 occasions in their history. Linfield FC (Northern Ireland) are the 2nd most successful with 49. Rangers are managed by Walter Smith, who is managing the club for the second time in his career. In his first term he led the club to 9 titles in a row 1989-1997. In his 2nd term he took the club to the UEFA Cup final in 2008 where Rangers took the largest ever support to an away game when 150,000 fans travelled to Manchester. He retired from Rangers at the end of 2010-11 season clinching his 3rd title in a row, leaving his position to assistant manager Ally McCoist who is looking to beat the record set by Smith in his previous term in charge.

Celtic - Scotland

Celtic won the European Cup in 1967, the first British team to do so. They also made it to the UEFA Cup Final in 2003, about 80,000 Celtic supporters traveled to Seville, Spain for the final. In 1984 Celtic were ordered by UEFA to replay a game against Rapid Vienna after fans threw bottles at the Austrian players while leading 3-0, Rapid won the replay 1-0. During the match a Celtic fan attacked the Rapid goalkeeper, and was arrested by police. The club's traditional playing colours are green and white hooped shirts and white shorts with white socks. The manager is Brendan Rodgers.

Grasshopperclub Zurich - Switzerland

[1] Grasshopperclub Zurich is also very known in their Swiss region. They're the most successful team of the Swiss football with 27 Swiss super league titles and 18 Swiss cups.

Shakhtar Donetsk - Ukraine

Shakhtar Donetsk is also a very good team especially because of their morale. They're managed by Mircea Lucescu.The team has done very well in recent years(they were very close to getting into the champions league second round,but lost to Benfica),having great eastern players such as Darijo Srna and Mariusz Lewandowski.

CSKA Moscow - Russia

CSKA is a very-well known team from Russia,they became the first Russian team to win the UEFA cup(after the break-up of USSR. They're managed by Valeri Gazzaev.Well-known players currently playing at CSKA Moscow are Vágner Love and Sergei Ignashevich.

Club Brugge - Belgium

Club Brugge is a well-known club of Belgium which is arch-rivaled with RSC Anderlecht. They're managed by Jacky Mathijssen. Some notable players include Siebe Schrijvers.

RSC Anderlecht - Belgium

RSC Anderlecht is the most successful team in Belgium with 29 league championships,5 European cups in all European cup competitions and 16 cups in Belgium competitions. They're managed by Franky Vercauteren.Well known players are(currently) Daniel Zitka,Olivier Deschacht.And former players are Nenad Jestrovic,Seol Ki-Hyeon and Vincent Kompany.

Dinamo Zagreb - Croatia

Dinamo is the most successful and famous team from Croatia. Their arch-rivals are Hajduk. The club has been most successful in the '60s, when they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (that would later become the UEFA Cup). They were runners up in 1963 and won it in 1967. They were Yugoslavia champions 4 times, and Croatian champions 11 times. They are regular participants in large European competitions (both the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League). Former players include Zvonimir Boban, Davor Suker, Luka Modric and Eduardo da Silva.

AFC

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football in Asia and Australia. It has 47 member countries, mostly located on the Asian and Australian continent, but excludes the transcontinental countries with territory in both Europe and Asia – Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey – which are instead members of UEFA. Three other states located geographically along the western fringe of Asia – Cyprus, Armenia and Israel – are also UEFA members. On the other hand, Australia, formerly in the OFC, joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, and the Oceanian island of Guam, a territory of the United States, is also a member of AFC, in addition to Northern Mariana Islands, one of the Two Commonwealths of the United States. Hong Kong and Macau, although not independent countries (both are Special administrative regions of China), are also members of the AFC.

Indian Super League

The league currently features ten teams from around India. Unlike other football leagues from around the world, the ISL is one of the few leagues to not use the promotion and relegation system but instead a franchise system along the lines of the Twenty20 cricket league. The teams play in a single table during the regular season and each team will play each other twice, once at home and once away from home, to complete a Eighteen game season. The Indian Super League champion qualify for the AFC Cup play-off spot. The Indian Super League has achieved the rare milestone of having registered the highest average stadium attendance for any football League in Asia.

Kerala Blasters

The Kerala Blasters Football Club was founded by former Indian cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar. Kerala Blasters FC is on first position in average home attendance among football clubs in Asia.

CONCACAF

CONCACAF (Confederation Of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) is the division where North America, Central America, Caribbean, and Surinam, Guyana, and French Guiana of South America are placed. The most famous teams are from the power house of Mexico.

(A.) Mexican Primera División

Mexicans aren't very known but games like FIFA 06 are getting their reputation through others up. Here are some good Mexicanos (amigos).After FIFA 06,their ratings has increased and in 2007 they were the 4th highest football league to be watched(stadiums)

Chivas de Guadalajara

Chivas is very well-known. Chivas and América are commonly rivalled with each other. They have won many major titles in their history. They play at Estadio Jalisco and are managed by Jose Manuel "chepo" De la Torre. Chivas is the current Champion in the Mexicna 1st division.

Club América

Club América is very well known in Mexico. It has a number of fans and have won most of the important titles in the league. They play at the famous Estadio Azteca and are managed by Alberto Daniel Brailovsky.

(B.) USA Major League Soccer

The USA is an emerging soccer nation in the World thanks to the creation of MLS in 1996.

D.C. United

The most successful team in the league, has the most trophies in the league. 1996 MLS Cup and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup; 1997 MLS Cup; 1998 CONCACAF Cup and Intra-American Cup; 1999 MLS Cup; 2004 MLS Cup. Currently the team is being coached by international Polish star Peter Nowak and consist of star player Jaime Moreno of Bolivia, Ben Olsen of USA, and Christian Gomez of Argentina.

Los Angeles Galaxy

An early rival team of D.C. United, it currently holds the most wins in the league. During the early years of MLS it was always successful but was mostly stopped by D.C. United when it came to MLS finals. However, with patience its dividends paid off during the 2001 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Cup; 2002 MLS Cup; 2005 MLS Cup and Lamar U.S. Open Cup. Currently it is coached by former Chelsea F.C. and New Castle F.C. coach Ruud Gullit.

CONMEBOL

CONMEBOL (CONfedración sudaMEricana de fútBOL) {in English: South American Football Confedration} is the confedration that rules the mighty South American region of football, some great emperors have been from this place. Lets explore them.

(A.) Argentine Primera División

Argentina has a very interesting league with many variable teams (i.e. any team beats the king anytime or sometime). It has actually two halves the Clausura and Apertura. Some Argentines are.

Atlético River Plate

River Plate is a good team and has the record of winning most season titles. It has a very famous and strong rivalry with Boca Juniors called the "Superclásico" on the Observer it was voted top of 50 sporting thing to do before you die as 70% of Argentina support River Plate and Boca Juniors. They play at El Monumental in Nuñez and are managed by Daniel Passarella.

Boca Juniors

Boca Juniors are very famous around the world and is very known because of their platinum legend Diego Armando Maradona know as D10S or "Pibe de Oro" and "el barrilete cósmico". They are highly respected throughout the world. They have won several cups and titles(23 division titles and 17 international titles). They play at La Bombonera and are managed by Miguel Angel Russo.

(B.) Brazilian Campeonato (1st Division)

Hola Brazil. Although the English invented football, the Brazilians perfected it. Brazil has many variable teams like Argentina. Here are the Kings.

Flamengo

Flamengo is one of the best clubs in Brazil. These days they have gone down a little bit, because they are organizing their finances, paying the taxes that te other clubs don't. Flamengo is the most followed club of the world, with almost 40 million fans. They have won many championships and titles. They are managed by Vanderlei Luxemburgo, ex-coach of Real Madrid.

Corinthians

Corinthians is the most popular club in São Paulo. They are rivaled with Palmeiras. They have a very good history in winning leagues and cups. They won the Brazilian championship in 2005. They're managed by Antônio Lopes.

Palmeiras

Palmeiras is superior to Corinthians. They are always furious against each other. Marcos, the 2002 World Cup winning goalkeeper belongs to them. They are managed by Émerson Leão.

Santos

They were famous because of the diamond legend, Pelé. They have been excellent at the era of the legend.

São Paulo

São Paulo is one of the major clubs in Brazil with winning a lot of championships, getting the fame and putting themselves in the South American map. They are managed by Muricy Ramalho.

International Competitions

In football there are many competitions and championships. Here is a collection of the major international competitions in the world of football.

The World

FIFA World Cup

This is the biggest achievement (competition) in football internationally. It takes place every four years and thirty-two teams play this major event. The qualifying rounds take place for each confederation three years before the World Cup. The 2022 World Cup was held in Qatar, Argentina defeated France by 4 penalties to 2 to lift the trophy. The bidding for the next World Cup is held before the nearest World Cup, (usually, three years before). For example, the bid for 2014 World Cup was held just after the 2010 World Cup. Brazil is the only team to win five World Cups, creating the record for winning the most World Cups in history. There have been twenty-two world cups, and the most recent was Argentina's win in the 2022 World Cup, hosted in Qatar. It was established in 1930 where it took place in Uruguay.

FIFA Confederations Cup(Abolished 2019)

This is the collection of the teams where the winners of the confederation tournaments, the hosts and the world cup winners qualify for a single tournament. It also takes place every four years like the World Cup. Brazil and France are the only countries that have won the cup twice. The most recent Confederations Cup was held in June 2017 in Russia, where Germany beat Chile 1-0 to win the cup.

Continental (non-international)

UEFA European Football Championship

Also known as Euro, this championship is most watched in Europe (internationally). It is held every four years (two years before the next World Cup to happen). The qualification of this championship consists of nine groups with top two teams from each group, the best third place, and the winners of a play-off between the other third place going to the next main group phase and so on. Germany and Spain have won the most titles, 3. The most recent championship was won by Italy in 2021, with a score of 4-3 in a penalty shootout over England.

UEFA Nations League

The UEFA Nations League is a new biennial international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The first tournament began in September 2018, following the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The four group winners from League A will qualify for the finals, to be played at a yet to be decided European city in June 2019. Four nations, one from each League, will also qualify for the UEFA Euro 2020 finals .According to the approved format (prior to Kosovo becoming UEFA member), the now 55 UEFA national teams (including Kosovo) will be divided into four divisions (called "Leagues"): 12 teams in League A, 12 teams in League B, 15 teams in League C, and 16 teams in League D. In each league, four groups are formed (three or four teams in each group) and play each other both home and away.

AFC Asian Cup

This is the main competition for Asian countries, although, Australia are also permitted and won the championship one time.The AFC Asian Cup is an international association football tournament run by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia.

CAF Africa Cup of Nations

This is the main competition for the CAF (African) countries. It is held every two years in January/February in the same year as UEFA European Championship Finals and Summer Olympics between 16 teams of Africa. It is the biggest international African teams' achievement. The latest cup, held during February 2022 in Cameroon, was won by Senegal for the first time.

CONMEBOL Copa América

This is the main competition for the CONMEBOL internationally. It consists of all the teams in the CONMEBOL. There is no fixed interval, so it changes frequently as to when it is going to take place. The most recent champion is Argentina (15th times) defeating Brazil after a 1-0 victory in 2021. Argentina & Uruguay holds the record for the most wins (15 time winners). Uruguay's most recent Copa America win was in 2011.

CONCACAF Gold Cup

This is the main competition in the CONCACAF region. Mexico currently holds the record for most wins with 8 titles. They are followed by the United States, the most recent champions, with 6 titles and Canada with 1. There is no fixed interval for this, also.

OFC Nations Cup

The OFC Nations Cup is an international association football tournament held among the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) member nations. It was held every two years from 1996 to 2004; before 1996 there were two other tournaments held at irregular intervals, under the name Oceania Nations Cup. No competition was held in 2006, but in the 2008 edition, which also acted as a qualification tournament for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and for a play-off for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the New Zealand national football team emerged as winners.

Club competitions

A football club or a soccer league of a certain country consists for small leagues as shown in The Leagues And Teams. These teams are known as football clubs. Here is a list of major club competitions.

The World

FIFA Club World Cup

Known as Intercontinental Cup before 2000, this is the only title which consists of the best top clubs from all six confederational titles (only four described below). The latest title was won by Chelsea in 2022. The FIFA Club World Cup had been hosted in Morroco 2023. The title was won by Real Madrid in a 5-3 situation vs Al Hilal

Continental (by confederation)

UEFA Champions League and Europa league

The biggest clash of the European league winners, the Champions League. 32 teams qualify for a round robin, then 16 qualify from each group, then quarter-finals, the semi-finals and then the finals.

Another major trophy, the Europa League, comprises 48 teams just like the Europa League, alas, third-place champion league teams join the tie for the progression of the round of 16, quarter, semis and finals.

Real Madrid CF are the current Champions League title holders, whilst Atlanta BC are the current Europa League title holders (2024).

Real Madrid CF currently holds the most Champions League titles: 15.

AFC Champions League

The AFC Champions League, commonly known as the Asian Champions League, is an annual continental club football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation. Introduced in 2002, the competition is a continuation of the Asian Club Championship which had started in 1967.

CAF Champions League

The CAF Champions League is not as prestigious as the UEFA's. It is also played like the UEFA's but instead 8 teams are in a group phase after a lot of qualifying leg rounds. The latest champions were Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in 2016, with this being their first trophy and their second appearance in the final since 2001. The winner of the competition qualifies for the FIFA World Club Cup. The most dominant side in the competition are Al-Ahly with 7 titles, closely followed by local Egyptian rivals Al-Zamalek with 5 titles.

CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores

The most watched national clubs' league other than UEFA as it is also prestigious like the UEFA's. As of 2018-2019 the current champions are River Plate from Argentina.

CONCACAF Champions League

The CONCACAF Champions League is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF for the top football clubs in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The winner of the CONCACAF Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup. The tournament is officially known as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, since February 2015, due to sponsorship by Scotiabank.

OFC Champions League

The OFC Champions League, also known as the O-League, is the premier men's club football competition in Oceania. It is organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), Oceania's football governing body. It has been organized since 2007 under the current format, following its predecessor, the Oceania Club Championship. Twelve OFC Champions League titles have been won by teams from New Zealand, with Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia being the only Pacific nations to have won the competition.