Around the world, people like to play American football and football, also called “soccer” in the US. There are a lot of arguments between sports fans about which is better ‘Soccer vs Football’. Football is the most popular sport in the United States, so most people love it. In the rest of the world, soccer is more popular.
Soccer vs Football: Key Differences
| Soccer | Football |
|---|---|
| Soccer is a term used mostly in the United States and Canada to refer to the sport played with a round ball and 22 players on a rectangular field. | Football is a term used in many other countries to refer to the same sport as soccer, or to other sports that involve kicking, throwing, or carrying an oval or round ball. |
| Soccer was invented in England in the 19th century as a variation of rugby and other games. The official name of soccer is association football. | Football has many different origins and variations, depending on the country and the culture. Some of the earliest forms of football date back to ancient China, Greece, and Rome. The official name of football depends on the type of football, such as American football, Australian football, or rugby. |
| The shape of the ball in soccer is spherical, meaning it is perfectly round and smooth. The ball has a circumference of about 70 cm and a weight of about 450 g. | The shape of the ball in football varies depending on the type of football, but it is usually oval or prolate spheroid, meaning it is longer than it is wide and has pointed ends. The ball has different sizes and weights depending on the type of football, but it is usually larger and heavier than a soccer ball. |
| The aim of the game in soccer is to score more goals than the opposing team by kicking the ball into the net with any part of the body except the hands or arms. | The aim of the game in football depends on the type of football, but it usually involves scoring more points than the opposing team by kicking, throwing, or carrying the ball across a line or into a goal post. |
| How players score points in soccer is by kicking the ball into the net with any part of the body except the hands or arms. Each goal is worth one point. | How players score points in football varies depending on the type of football, but it usually involves kicking, throwing, or carrying the ball across a line or into a goal post. Each score can be worth different points depending on how it is achieved. For example, in American football, a touchdown is worth six points, a field goal is worth three points, and an extra point or a two-point conversion is worth one or two points respectively. |
| The length of the game in soccer is 90 minutes, divided into two halves of 45 minutes each. There is also a 15-minute break between the halves. The game can be extended by extra time or penalty shootouts if there is a tie. | The length of the game in football varies depending on the type of football, but it usually consists of four quarters of 15 minutes each. There are also breaks between the quarters and at halftime. The game can be stopped frequently by timeouts, fouls, or other events. The game can be extended by overtime if there is a tie. |
Touchdowns Vs Goals In The Scoring System
The main goal in American football and soccer is to score more points than the other team. In football, on the other hand, players get points by moving the ball past the other team’s goal line and scoring a touchdown. A touchdown is valued at six points, and the team that scores can kick a field goal for one moment.
To get points in soccer, players have to score goals, which means hitting the ball into the other team’s goal. The game is won by the team that gets the most destinations. There is a tie when both teams have the same number of points at the end of the game.
Time Limit for Soccer vs Football
The amount of time is another big difference between soccer and football. Football has four 15-minute halves, with a break in the middle of the second quarter. Soccer is split into two 45-minute halves, with a 15-minute break in the middle.
Another difference in time is that you can call a break in football, and the game clock sometimes stops between plays. There is always time on the clock in soccer. An extra 90 minutes is added after the usual 90 minutes, though. It’s called “injury time.” Most of the time, the amount of injury time is the estimated amount of time lost because of accidents or other reasons why play must be stopped.
Overtime for Football vs Soccer
People in the US don’t like ties. When you look at their most famous games, you’ll see that ties rarely happen. The game goes extra if there is no winner at the end of regular time. Every week during the NFL season, there is a 10-minute extra. The game is a tie if the score is still tied at the end of extra time. Of course, there has to be a winner in the playoffs.
If the game finishes in a tie, both teams have earned one point, which is possible in local soccer finals. During the knockout round, however, there must be a winner. In other words, if the score is tied at the end of the regular, there are two 15-minute extra halves. A penalty shootout is used to pick the winner if no one wins during those times.
Guidelines For The Game: Soccer vs Football
It makes sense that football and soccer have different rules since they are two other games. One significant change between the rules is how the hands are used. Even though the game is called football, most of the time, the players use their hands.
The goalie is the only person in soccer who can touch the ball with his hands. They can only do this in the penalty box. Tackling is also allowed in football, but it is not permitted at all in soccer. In soccer, players who attack other players too hard get sent off, but that kind of contact is praised in football.
Substitutes: Soccer vs Football
When you play team sports, substitutes are common. They allow leaders to rest players who are hurt or not doing well. But the rule for subs is different in football and soccer. The football coach can bring in as many replacements as he wants.
Usually, he has two separate teams for hitting and defending, and he constantly moves the players around based on what’s happening on the field. A coach can only bring in three replacements at a time in soccer. A person is also not allowed to come back after being taken off.
What The Equipment
The gear that football and soccer players wear is another clear difference. The only pieces of equipment that players in both sportswear are the same are a shirt with their names and the team’s logo on the back. In American football, players must wear many safety gear, like helmets, shoulder pads, waist pads, and gloves. Men who play soccer only need to wear shin guards and boots. Having talked about how football and soccer are different, let’s now talk about how they are the same.
Comparable Features Of Soccer Field vs Football Field
As you can see, the most significant difference between football and soccer is the field. Both are played on grass. Football has two 10-yard end zones and 100 yards of playing area. The field is 120 yards long. The widest point of it is 160 feet, or 50 meters. A soccer field is about 100 to 130 yards long and 60 to 70 meters wide.
Number Of Players
Each team can have 11 people on the field at any given time in football and soccer. But the players are lined up differently and are moving in very different ways. In football, the whole team acts as a line to attack and protect. In soccer, there are three areas: the defence, the middle, and the attack. Except when the coach tells them otherwise, soccer players stay in their zone for most of the game.
Tactics
In both soccer and American football, tactics are essential. It’s always been great strategies and good execution of those strategies that have helped an outsider beat a star in soccer or football. Teams in both football and soccer have coaches who come up with different techniques that help them win.
In both sports, the leaders have a whole group of people who look at both teams’ skills, weaknesses, and weak spots. These strategies can include different moves, ways to fight, or ways to protect the most dangerous players on the other team. During games, coaches can also change their strategies based on how things are going and the result.
Playmakers
On both football and soccer teams, some people make plays. When these people are on the field, they change the game. That makes them the most critical people on the team. A quarterback is the most important person on an American football team. He sets up plays and is also known as the quarterback.
The quarterback is essential during games because he plans and carries out his team’s attacks. In both football and soccer, the playmaker is the player who fixes the game’s pace. He is naturally good with the ball, and his main job is to set up chances for others to score. He usually plays in the centre of the field and is very good at moving and throwing the ball.
Conclusion
Even though American football and soccer look very different at first glance, there are some interesting parallels and significant differences between the two. Their score systems differ; one uses touchdowns and the other goals, but they love playing on open fields, and tactics and playmakers decide how they win. Seeing these differences and similarities helps us understand these popular sports better and reminds us that the world of sports is big, colorful, and full of surprises.
