Soccer Vs Football: Striking Differences and Similarities

Basically, there has been an age-long debate about Soccer Vs Football. However, the answer to this all depends on whether you are asking from an American point of view or as one from another part of the world. In particular, the bone of contention here is: What is the difference and similarities between soccer and Football?

For an American, this question could also be read as “What is the difference between Soccer and American football?” The answer is clear because Soccer and American football are two completely different games. Soccer is played with a round ball that can be kicked and directed. American football, however, is more of a rugby game in which the oblong balloon is thrown and passed along with the kick. This is the answer to this article is going to provide.

However, in the rest of the world, the word “football” does not mean “‘American football’. It means Association Football, also known as Soccer. This means that when reading this way, the initial question makes no sense, football and soccer are the same things.

Above all, to understand this Soccer Vs Football very well you need to know what Soccer means and also what football means. Hence, this will lead us to explain in detail how the words Soccer and Football came about in the next section.

What is Football?

Football, in particular, is a family of team sports which involves kicking a ball to score a goal. Sports commonly known as football include association football (known as soccer in some countries); gridiron football (American football or Canadian football); Australian rules football; rugby football (rugby league or rugby union); and Gaelic football.

Meanwhile, American football is called football in the United States and Canada. And also called the gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end.

American football has evolved in the United States, from the sports of soccer and rugby. The first football match took place on November 6, 1869, between two university teams, Rutgers and Princeton, according to the rules based on the soccer rules of the time.

What is Soccer?

Soccer which is better known as Association football is a team sport. Playing this game involves using a spherical ball between two teams of eleven players. They play this game on a rectangular terrain called a field with a goal at each end. The objective of the game is to score by moving the ball beyond the goal line towards the opposite goal.

The word “soccer,” as we all believe to have its origin from Britain some 200 years ago, comes from the official name of the sport, “association football.” Like other versions of the game evolved to include Rugby Football, it is believed the Brits adopted colloquialisms to distinguish each game.

The term soccer comes from a joking jargon or abbreviation of the word “association”, with the suffix “-er” added. The word football (which reached its final form in 1895) was first recorded in 1889 in the previous form of socca.

In the Anglo-Saxon world, association football is now generally “football” in the United Kingdom and mainly “soccer” in Canada and the United States. People who live in countries where other football codes prevail (Australia, Ireland, Wales, South Africa, and New Zealand) can use any term. Although the national associations of Australia and Australia -Zealanders now mainly use “football” for the official name.

Why is Football Called Soccer in the US

Gradually, the term “soccer” is gaining popularity in the U.S. to distinguish the sport from American football. This is because the sport has an origin from England and yet the Americans have taken over the name. So why is it that Americans including Canadians, Australians, and others are using the word more than the British are? In truth, I believe the answer lies in how the sport did develop in each country.

“In the U.S it seems to have had a more democratic flavor – everyone used it. And more easily shifted from a colloquialism to a proper name. Because of the utility of distinguishing it from the other ‘football’,” Szymanski explains in his paper, which they did publish in May.

“Since 1980 the use of the word ‘soccer’ has a great decline in British publications, and where they use it, it usually refers to an American context. This decline seems to be a reaction against an increase in usage in the US which seems to have associations with the highpoint of the around 1980.”

By the 1980s, the Brits began to part with the term, apparently, because it had become too “American.” Americans’ use of the term “soccer” continues to incite frustration among those loyal to the original name of the game.

Meanwhile, in the United States, a sport appeared at the end of the 19th century, borrowing elements of rugby and association football. Soon, it proved to be more popular than any of them. As a result, football players in American football associations have increasingly adopted soccer to refer to their sport. It is no longer just a nickname, soccer has come to stay.

Difference Between Soccer and American Football

In this section, we are out to give those striking differences between soccer and football. Above all, we want to create a platform such that if you say football or soccer it probably depends on your place of birth.

While Americans remain attached to soccer as what we call football, the rest of the world has remained loyal to football. Given the historical evolution of each term, it is not really possible to determine one or the other as “true” or “false” in Soccer Vs Football.

We believe this difference between soccer and football will make a great difference in clearing your doubts.

	American Football	Soccer
Definition	American football is a game with intense physical aggression with players that have speed, power, and explosiveness that requires helmets and padding to be worn. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States.	Soccer (called fútbol or football in most countries) is the most popular sport in the world. The objective of the game is to score goals by kicking the ball into the net behind the goal post.
The object of the Game	The object of the game is to score points by carrying the ball beyond the opponent’s touchline. (Each such instance is called a touchdown). Also scoring by kicking it between the goal post called a Field Goal.	The objective of the game is to score by moving the ball beyond the goal line towards the opponent’s goal post.
Ball	The football itself is an oval ball, similar to the balls used in rugby. At all levels of play, the ball is inflated at a pressure of 86 to 93 kPa (12 1/2 to 13 1/2 pounds per square inch) and weighs 400 to 430 g (14 to 15 ounces)	The ball is spherical with a circumference between 68 and 70 centimeters (27 and 28 inches), a weight between 410 and 450 grams (14 and 16 ounces) and a pressure between 0.6 and 1.1 bar (8, 5 and 15.6 pounds) . per square inch) at sea level.
Field Size	Length: 120 yards (109.728 meters) in total (100 yards (91.44 meters) of playing field, with two 10-yard (9.144 meters) end zones) Width: 160 feet (48.768 meters)	Standard– (length): 90 m (100 yd) to 120 m (130 yd); Goal line (width) : 45 m (50 yd) to 90 m (100 yd) International adult matches – (length): 100 m (110 yd) to 110 m (120 yd); Goal line (width) : 64 m (70 yd) to 75 m (80 yd) Non-international matches: may be 90–120 m (100–130 yd) length and 45–90 m (50–100 yd) in width, provided that the pitch does not become square.
Duration	Football games last for a total of 60 minutes in professional and college play. And are divided into two halves of 30 minutes and four quarters of 15 minutes.	A standard adult football match consists of two halves of 45 minutes each.
Player Size	NFL player Brandon banks 70 kg. (155 lbs.) was at one point 67 kg. (149 lbs.) is the lightest NFL player since 2010. While the largest NFL player was 162.3kg (358 lbs.). The largest running back is 122kg (268 lbs.) Brandon jacobs.	Taller players are preferred for defending. But notwithstanding any size can fit in here once you can run.
Number of Umpires / Referees	3 to 6 referees plus booth review	3 referees
Protective gear	Helmet, Shoulder/Chest pad/protector, upper leg padding, and mouthguard are rightfully required.	Shin guards, Boots.
Countries	USA, Canada, Australia	The Whole World
Highest governing body	NFL	FIFA
Major League	National Football League (NFL)	Barclay’s Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Bundesliga(Germany), Serie A (Italy), Ligue 1 (France)
Major Tournaments	NFL Playoffs	World Cup, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, Copa del Rey, DFB Pokal, Coppa Italia, Coupe de France
Current World Champions	New England Patriots	France
Substitution	Unlimited	3 players per game

Similarities Between Soccer and Football

As much as there is a lot of difference between soccer and football, based on the American’s point of view. There are also similarities between soccer and football.

One striking similarity between soccer and football is that the game both have 11 players per team on the field at any point in time, including a goalkeeper.

Other striking similarity between soccer and football each sport features a playmaker, typically the quarterback in football and the central midfielder in soccer. 

In addition, offside rules in each sport require the team on offense to move down the field in rough unison, employing clever tactics rather than cherry-picking to elude the defense. This is one other striking similarity between soccer and football that people fail to notice.

Finally, Kickers and punters in football typically kick the ball using the laces of their shoes, which is a typical soccer style.

In Conclusion

Today, the term soccer is widely used in the United States, but this term is widely understood in the world as meaning football.

However, in the United Kingdom, in particular, the term soccer can be problematic. As some supporters insist that the term should never be used simultaneously. Therefore, believing that Americans change the name of “their” sport to distinguish it from American football.

As we all can see at the end of this debate, we can conclude that both the games are based upon the use of foot and ball but different in terms of the application of rules.

So whatever you refer to as football all depend on you. But clearing that question, Soccer Vs Football is very important. Above all, we believe we have done justice to that here. All you need to know now is that the game is very exciting and so much interesting that you should enjoy them.

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