Facts About Soccer

Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about soccer?

If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…

It’s time to chat about soccer facts.

Let’s dive right in…

1 – Soccer is the most popular sport in the world.

2 – Soccer was first played as far back as 2,000 years ago.

3 – The rules of soccer were standardized by 1863.

4 – Soccer’s World Cup tournament takes place every four years. The World Cup is an international tournament for national teams that takes place every four years and countries from all over the world compete to win this prestigious title.

5 – There are two teams on a soccer field, each with 11 players. There are 11 players on each team, one goalie and 10 outfield players who may be substituted for another player at any time during game play.

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6 – Soccer balls have different sizes depending on age and league (e.g., size 5 ball).

7 – A regulation soccer field is 120 yards long by 80 yards wide.

8 – In order to be an international referee, one must have been a FIFA-certified referee for five years or more and pass a written exam on the Laws of the Game (LOTG) at least once every two years.

9 – The first soccer ball was made of an inflated pig’s bladder with leather panels stitched together to create a sphere shape.

10 – In Brazil, soccer is called “futebol” which translates to “football” in English.

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11 – The oldest soccer club is Sheffield FC, which was founded in 1857. Sheffield F.C. in England, is the world’s oldest surviving independent football club not associated with an institution such as a school, hospital or university.

12 – In the first World Cup final, held on July 30, 1930, 93,000 spectators watched Uruguay defeat Argentina 4–2 in a rematch of the 1928 Olympic gold medal game. Uruguay went on to win its second World Cup again in 1950 with a 2-1 win over Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.

13 – FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association and it is the international governing body of association football (soccer).

14 – The World Cup trophy is named after Jules Rimet, who was president of FIFA from 1921-1954. It was originally planned to be called VICTORY.

15 – It is unknown who invented the game as there are no records from that time period.

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16 – In 1900, Soccer became an Olympic sport when men’s soccer was included in the Summer Olympic Games for the first time. The only Olympic games that did not include soccer were the 1932 Olympics.

17 – Soccer players have to wear shin guards to protect their shins from injury.

18 – Soccer players can’t touch their own ball with their hands or arms while it’s in play.

19 – Penalty kicks are awarded when a player commits an infraction inside of the penalty area, such as tripping an opposing player or pushing them off balance.

20 – Soccer games last 90 minutes with two 45 minute halves separated by half time (which lasts 15 minutes).

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21 – You don’t actually need a net to play an official game of soccer.

22 – You may only enter or leave the field of play with the referee’s permission.

23 – You will get a yellow card if you take off your soccer jersey during play.

24 – Soccer balls can’t have an interior that’s been filled with anything other than air. The ball has to be spherical, made of leather or a synthetic material, and inflated with air.

25 – The first soccer ball was created in 1887 by Charles Goodyear Jr., son of Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber.

In 2010, a player named Lionel Messi became the first person to score 91 goals in a single year in 2012 for Barcelona FC.

All players on a team must wear matching uniforms and numbers so that they can be easily identified during games.

Facts About Soccer – 25 Fun Soccer Facts To WOW You!