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Soccer is a ball sport in which two teams compete against each other with the goal of scoring more goals than their opponents to win the game. The game is usually played for two 45-minute periods, plus overtime and, if necessary, extra time and/or penalties. A team usually consists of eleven players, one of whom is the goalkeeper. The ball may be played with the whole body except the arms and hands; it is mainly kicked with the foot. Only the goalkeeper (inside his own penalty area) - or the field players when taking a throw-in - may touch the ball with their hands.

The success of soccer is based, firstly, on its simplicity. The cost of resources and equipment is relatively low (see, for example, street soccer), which has made it very popular in many developing countries, and it is easy for newcomers and spectators to understand or even take for granted. Secondly, the number of goals is relatively low, which increases the value of a goal and makes the games more exciting, since superior or better-placed teams do not win as often or can be determined as winners early on as in other ball sports.However, these special features have been counteracted in recent times by more complicated regulations (including changes to the offside rule) and ever greater (technical) expense in top-level soccer (including video evidence), which are intended to lead to "fairer" soccer.

Soccer originated in Great Britain in the second half of the 19th century and spread to continental Europe and other continents from the 1880s and 1890s. It is considered the world's most popular team sport. Unlike other sports (such as handball), top clubs in soccer usually developed only in large cities, which can boast the very elaborate infrastructure with recently increasing demands.