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Association football pictogram
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Association football

Sport that is practiced between two teams of eleven players

United Kingdomcountry of origin
1863first recorded
1896Olympic debut
18disciplines & variants
6international bodies

Association football is a team sport and ball game. It originated in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with its first record dating to 1863. The sport is governed internationally by FIFA. It has featured at the Olympic Games since 1896 (29 editions). Wikidata lists 18 disciplines or variants under it.

First recorded1863
Named afterfoot, kick
Players (as recorded)7–22
PractitionersAssociation football player
Also known asfootball, soccer
Olympic statusOn the programme · since 1896
Image: Thadius856 (SVG conversion) & Parutakupiu (original image) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Association football
Image: Rick Dikeman · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Family tree

Disciplines and variants

18
Beach soccerAssociation football played on a beachCujuA competitive kick ball game originated in Qi state of the Chinese...Elephant footballFive-a-side footballVariation of association football with five members per sideJorkyballVariant of footballMinifootballVariation of association footballPara association footballAssociation football adapted for participants with disabilitiesPowerchair footballTeam sport of football in which players use powered wheelchairsSeven-a-side footballTeam sport, variant of association footballStreet footballInformal football variantWalking footballVariation of association football
Bubble bump footballVariation of the football game
Calcio storico fiorentinoEarly form of football that originated during the Middle Ages in...
KemariJapanese ball game, non-competitive
Non-FIFA international footballAssociation football played outside the purview of FIFA
Swamp footballForm of association football played in bogs or swamps
Three-sided footballVariation of association football played with three teams
Wheelchair soccerSoccer in wheelchair
Olympic Games

Olympic history

Editions where Association football or one of its disciplines was on the programme. Filled boxes mark the sport itself, outlined ones its disciplines; the small number is the count of medal events where recorded.

Summer Games29 editions · since 1896
1896190041904219082191231920219241192811932193621948119522195611960219648196861972219762198031984319882199221996320002200442008220123201662021320242
Multi-sport events

At other multi-sport games

GamesEditionsFirstLatestYears
Summer Paralympic Games7198420121984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012
Summer Youth Olympic Games1201420142014
Central American and Caribbean Games22193020231993, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2023 …
Mediterranean Games20195120261997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2018, 2022, 2026 …
Asian Games20195120261998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2023, 2026 …
Pan American Games19195120231995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023 …
Summer World University Games18197920192005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 …
Island Games16198920252005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2023, 2025 …
African Games13196520241995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2024 …
South Asian Games13198420191993, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2019 …
Arab Games10195320111961, 1965, 1976, 1985, 1997, 1999, 2007, 2011 …
Jeux de la Francophonie9198920231994, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2023 …
Bolivarian Games9193820221951, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2022 …
Pacific Games8196320231963, 1966, 1975, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Military World Games7199520191995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019
South American Games5201020262010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026
Islamic Solidarity Games4200520222005, 2013, 2017, 2022
European Youth Olympic Festival3199120051991, 2003, 2005
Goodwill Games2199419981994, 1998
European Games2201520232015, 2023
World level

World championships

All championships
ChampionshipOrganiserFirst heldEveryEditions
World Military CupInternational Military Sports Council1946—56
FIFA Under-17 World CupFIFA19852 yr22
FIFA Women's World CupFIFA19914 yr16
FIFA U-20 Women's World CupFIFA20022 yr14
FIFA U-17 Women's World CupFIFA20082 yr10
Women's Futsal World Tournament2010—4
WAFU Women’s CupWest African Football Union (WAFU)——2
Editions — seasons or tournaments recorded as separate entries in Wikidata.