Top Soccer Stories
From World Cup starting lineup pages to articles about the best soccer players to ever live, Lineups’ soccer coverage aims to create a one stop shop for fans of the sport. In addition to World Cup starting 11’s, find updated starting lineups for select teams in the Premier League, MLS, and La Liga.
Soccer Odds
Get up-to-date betting odds for all the major soccer leagues across Europe and the US. Shop the best prices for…
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Denmark vs. Slovenia Prediction, Odds and Preview – UEFA European Championship June 16
See a prediction, odds and match preview for the 2024 UEFA European Championship Denmark vs. Slovenia match on June 16.
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Manchester United Starting Lineup: Updated Starting 11 vs. Aston Villa
The Manchester United starting lineup is set for their (2/11/24) matchup against Aston Villa. Goalkeeper André Onana has been away…
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Real Madrid Starting Lineup: Updated Roster & Starting 11
The Real Madrid starting lineup is set for their (2/4/24) matchup against crosstown rivals Atlético Madrid. After a comfortable road…
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Liverpool Starting Lineup: Updated Starting 11 & Roster
The Liverpool FC starting lineup is set for their (2/10/24) matchup against Burnley. Star winger Mohamed Salah will miss the…
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Barcelona Starting Lineup vs. Granada: Updated Starting 11 & Roster
The FC Barcelona starting lineup is currently headlined by Frenkie de Jong and Robert Lewandowski, both of whom are healthy…
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Columbus Crew Starting Lineup vs. Los Angeles FC: Updated Roster & Starting 11 Information
Get updated Columbus Crew starting lineup and roster information ahead of the team’s MLS championship match against LAFC this Saturday…
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FC Cincinnati Starting Lineup Vs. Columbus Crew: Updated Starting 11 & Roster
After a semifinal heartbreak last season, FC Cincinnati has clinched the Supporters’ Shield, and with it the top spot in…
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Manchester City Starting 11: Expect Rotations Against Everton
Manchester City have fallen out of the Carabao Cup, marking another early exit from what used to be by far…
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Inter Miami Starting Lineup vs Al-Nassr: Updated Starting 11 & Roster
The Inter Miami starting lineup is usually headlined by Lionel Messi, arguably the best soccer player of all time, and…
Read Full ArticleWorldwide Organization of the Sport
Professional soccer is organized and governed by FIFA, which stands for the French translation of the International Federation of Association Football. FIFA governs all 211 national soccer associations and, in turn, oversees all of the club teams within each nation’s soccer association. These national associations then make up the six soccer confederations that serve as the continental governing bodies of FIFA. The six confederations are the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Confederation of African Football (AFC), the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and the Oceania Football Association (OFC).
Now, in terms of the number of individual club teams that FIFA actually oversees, there are truly too many to count. In other words, each one of the 211 national soccer associations has its own league system, which often includes multiple tiers that allow for fluidity between them via promotion and relegation. For example, in England, the top flight league consists of 20 teams. In the three leagues below that league, there are a total of 72 teams. Below those leagues, there are a seemingly infinite number of semi-professional and amateur leagues that a separate English soccer system governs but that still feeds teams into the higher leagues via promotion. So, although there are only 92 club teams that UEFA, and, in turn, FIFA, directly governs in England, the teams themselves are always changing due to promotion and relegation. This, however, is only England. Every national association, from Angola to Laos to Bonaire to Samoa, has its own system with multiple leagues and/or tiers and, thus, a sizable number of individual clubs.
Competitions, Awards, Teams & Players
Each confederation has a similar setup of tournaments in which teams participate as well as awards for which teams and players can contend. The best teams in each of the national associations within a confederation will come together in a tournament each year often known as the Champions League/Cup. Each confederation’s winner will then enter the FIFA Club World Cup, in which the best team in each confederation compete to be the best team in the world.
The top awards for an individual player are the Best FIFA Men’s/Women’s Player and the Ballon d’Or, two accolades that are voted on and presented at the end of each calendar year. Confederations, leagues, and even teams often have their own individual awards as well.
The best teams and players in the world are considered to play in Europe. These teams include Real Madrid CF, FC Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC, Manchester United FC, Chelsea FC, FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus FC, and Paris Saint-Germain FC. The two best players in the world today are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who have held the title for the last decade.
Matches & Leagues
A soccer match lasts for roughly 90 minutes and is divided into two 45-minute halves. There is a 15-minute intermission called halftime between the two halves during which players can rest and coaches can discuss tactics.
Both teams can have at most eleven players on the field, totaling up to 22 players at any given time. There is also a referee on the field who manages fouls and misconduct during the game. Two assistant referees cover either sideline to indicate when the ball goes out of play and which team gets possession.
Coaches can make up to three substitutions per match and are only allowed to stand in a specified “technical area” to coach their players from the sideline. Bench players, the rest of the coaching staff, and medical personnel also reside on the sideline during games.
Since the clock never stops running during a soccer match, matches often go on for slightly longer than 90 minutes due to “added time,” which is the time at the end of either half that referees add on to make up for stoppages during the game.
Other than that, the team with more goals at the end of the game wins. While league games are allowed to end in draws, cup competitions are not. Cup games that are tied at the end of regular time either advance on to extra time/penalty kicks or are scheduled to be replayed at a later date. Cup competitions also often have two legs so that teams can play each other in both teams’ stadiums. The winner of the tie is then determined based on the aggregate score of the two legs. If the aggregate score is a draw, the team with more away goals often advances. If those are equal as well, the second match goes into extra time and possibly penalties.
In league play, a team gets three points for winning, one point for drawing, and no points for losing. Each team plays every other team twice, once at home and once on the road. The total number of points that each team has at the end of the season then determines the winner of the league or which teams will take part in an additional playoff bracket.
Larger tournaments may also have group stages. In a group stage, there will be multiple groups of teams, and teams will play the other teams in their group. Group stages use the point system, and the top teams in each group will move on to the knockout rounds that no longer use the point system and are either single elimination or a two-legged tie.
To learn more about the rules of the game, check out Soccer 101 Beginner’s Guide: How Soccer Works.
Global Audience
A big reason why the game became so popular is television. Soccer is broadcast around the world on various networks so that anyone anywhere can tune in to see their favorite team play from across the globe. As a result, the most popular teams actually have hundreds of millions of fans worldwide.
Television broadcasting is specifically the main reason why the United States has started to pay more attention to the world’s sport. Many young adults grew up watching soccer on television, and even more teenagers and children are growing up watching it on tv now.
Soccer will only continue to expand, and although the U.S. may be a little late to the party, it certainly is a great time to be a soccer fan.
Soccer FAQs
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What is soccer?
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Why do people call soccer “football/futbol” in other countries?
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What is the most popular soccer team in the world?
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Who is the best soccer player in the world?
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Which country is the best at soccer?
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Is the United States national team any good at soccer?
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Why is soccer so popular?
What is soccer?
Soccer is a game played by two teams with the objective of getting a ball into the opponent’s goal. Players cannot touch the ball with their hands or arms and, therefore, kick the ball to try to score, while also working to prevent the ball from entering their own goal.
Why do people call soccer “football/futbol” in other countries?
The official name of the sport is actually association football, which originated in England. While most countries shortened the phrase to football over time, the United States adopted the word “soccer” instead, a British slang term that comes from the word “association.”
What is the most popular soccer team in the world?
Real Madrid and Barcelona are generally regarded as having the two biggest fanbases in the world with hundreds of millions of fans between the two of them.
Who is the best soccer player in the world?
The best soccer player in the world is a question that is largely up for debate, though right now Kylian Mbappe is the consensus selection.
Which country is the best at soccer?
The best national teams in the world include Argentina, France, Germany, Brazil, and England. Argentina is currently the World Cup champion, having beaten France in the 2022 final. Before that, France lifted the trophy in 2018, Germany lifted it in 2014, and Spain won in 2010.
Is the United States national team any good at soccer?
Though the US men’s national team has never advanced to a World Cup final, things are optimistic. In 2022, they were able to advance out of the group stage despite fielding the tournament’s youngest team.
Why is soccer so popular?
Soccer is an easy game to play, for it can be played anywhere and doesn’t requires much. For this reason, it spread across the world, and people formed teams wherever they were. The localization of these teams then fueled PASSION among people for their local club and the sport overall.
