{"id":19984,"date":"2020-11-03T11:19:28","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T11:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lingobest.com\/free-online-english-course\/?p=19984"},"modified":"2022-12-16T11:14:38","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T11:14:38","slug":"football-vocabulary-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lingobest.com\/free-online-english-course\/football-vocabulary-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"Football Vocabulary in English: All the Words You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Football is the most popular sport in the world and if you ever want to watch a match in English, you will need to know the terms in order to understand the narrator of the game. Keep reading for an extensive list of football vocabulary in English<\/strong>, some history about the sport, and an explanation of what is the correct way to call this sport (soccer or football?).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first thing you need to know about me is that I was born and raised in Brazil. That means I take football seriously. Wednesdays nights and Sunday afternoons are sacred \u2014 if you turn on the TV, a football match will be underway. The World Cup is another major thing for us here. School is canceled on the days Brazil plays. I also remember the afternoon of July 8th, 2014. If you, like me, are a football fan you know what I am talking about. If that\u2019s not your case, I will explain it. On that day Brazil lost the semifinal of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which was being held in Brazil, by 7-1 to Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ok, enough about me. Let’s start by answering one of the most common questions about football. Is is ‘soccer’ or ‘football’?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The name of the game: is it \u2018soccer\u2019 or \u2018football\u2019?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many differences between American English and British English We have covered some of them here on the PrepEng blog \u2014 color or colour and grey or gray, for instance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, one would say the best-known difference is that Americans call the most popular sport in the world \u2018soccer\u2019, while British call it \u2018football\u2019. Actually, before we go on, it is important to mention that Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa also refer to the game Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, and Neymar play as \u2018soccer\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The funny thing is: the word soccer originated in England. Back in the 19th century, the word \u2018football\u2019 was used to refer to the game as we know today. One day, during a football match, the young player William Webb Ellis decided to take the ball into his hands and started running<\/p>\n\n\n\n

towards the goal. The game happened in a field in the Rugby School, in England. People seem to like Ellis\u2019 idea and the game \u2018rugby football\u2019 was created. Now they had two different games they could play: rugby football and associated football (which is the one we play nowadays).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to differentiate them, rugby football started being called \u2018rugby\u2019 and the associated football was known as \u2018asoccer\u2019. Time passed and \u2018asoccer\u2019 became \u2018soccer\u2019. In the United States, what most people know as \u2018american football\u2019 is referred to as simply \u2018football\u2019, so \u2018soccer\u2019 was used to talk about what most people know as \u2018football\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Football vocabulary in English<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many words and phrases you should know to understand a football match in English. We have divided them into nine sections including the place where they play, the referees, the positions on the team, the equipment, the match, the stages of a competition, scores, expressions, and important events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The football pitch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The pitch is where the game takes place. In American English, the pitch is referred to as \u2018field\u2019. Look at the image below and try to identify each part of a football pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n