Wp/nth/Futbaa

Association futbaa, mair commonly knawn as futbaa or soccer, is a team sport played atween twe teams o 11 players at ilk maistly uses their feet te propel a ball aroond a rectangular field caad a pitch. The objective o the game is to score mair goals nor the opposin team by movin the baa beyond the goal line intiv a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposin team. Traditionally, the game hes been played ower twe 45-minute halves, for a total match time o 90 minutes. Wiv an estimated 250 million players active iv ower 200 countries and territories, it is often considered the warld's maist popular sport.

The game ov association futbaa is played in accordance wiv the Laws o the Game, a set o rules at has been in effect sin 1863 and maintained by the IFAB sin 1886. The game is played with a football that is 68 – in circumference. The twe teams competes te get the baa inte the other team's goal (atween the posts and under the bar), thereby scorin a goal. When the baa is in play, the players maislty uses their feet, but may use ony other pairt o their body, except for their heeds or airms, te control, strike, or pass the baa. Oney the goalkeepers may use their hands and airms, and nobbut i the penalty area. The team that hes scored mair goals at the end o the game is the winner. Dependin on the format o the competition, an equal number o goals scored may result iv a draw bein declared, or the game gans inte extra time or a penalty shutoot.

Internationally, association football is governed by FIFA. Under FIFA, there is six continental confederations: AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA. National associations (e.g. The FA or JFA) is responsible for managin the game i their awn countries baith professionally and at an amateur level, and coordinatin competitions iv accordance wi the Laws o the Game. The maist senior and prestigious international competitions is the FIFA Warld Cup and the FIFA Women's World Cup. The men's Warld Cup is the maist-viewed sportin event i the warld, surpassin the Olympic Games. The twe maist prestigious competitions i European club futbaa is the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Women's Champions League, at attracts an extensive television audience throughoot the warld. The final of the men's tournament hes been, i recent years, the maist-watched annual sportin event i the warld.

Women's association futbaa hes historically seen opposition, wi national associations severely curbin its development and several ootlawin it aathegither. Restrictions started te be reduced i the 1970s and the furst official women's World Cup wes the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup i China wi nobbut 12 teams frae the respective six confederations. By the 2019 FIFA Women's Warld Cup i France, this had increased te 24 national teams, and a record-breaking 1.12 billion viewers watched the competition.