Competing both formally and informally, there are many millions of soccer players in the world. It is the world's most popular athletic event, possibly excepting the Summer Olympics. The 1990 World Cup finals had a television audience that exceeded a billion. The 1994 Cup will be hosted by the United States. The rules of soccer are relatively simple, and little equipment is required.
Players wear shirts, shorts, cleated shoes, and sometimes shin guards tucked inside their socks.
A soccer game begins when one team kicks off, the kicking team usually retaining possession because the ball must move only the length of its circumference with the kickoff. Play is continuous, stopping only when a goal is scored, the ball is out of bounds, or a foul is called. Each goal scored is worth one point, and the team with the most goals at the end of play wins. The game lasts for a specified period of time, which varies with the level and type of competition and sometimes the local rules. Most U.S. interscholastic games comprise 15-minute quarters.