Football / futbol / (in the oral language, by apocope, football), or soccer / sɔkœʁ / (in North America), is a collective sport that is played mainly at the foot with a spherical ball. He opposes two teams of eleven players in a stadium, whether on grass or on a floor. The goal of each side is to put the ball in the opposing goal, without using the arms, and to do it more often than the other team.

Codified by the British Scots2 at the end of the nineteenth century, football was established in 1904 with an international federation, FIFA. Practiced in 2006 by approximately 264 million players worldwide, football has the status of number one sport in the majority of countries. Some continents, such as Africa, South America and Europe, are almost entirely dominated by this discipline.

The calendar is dominated by two types of events: those concerning the clubs and those of the national teams. The World Cup is the most prestigious international event. It has been held every four years since 1930 (except between 1938 and 1950). For clubs, national championships and other cups are on the competition program.

In club competition, the UEFA Champions League, played in Europe but with equivalents on other continents, is the most coveted trophy in the sport, despite the recent establishment of a World Cup of Nations. clubs, still looking for prestige.