In fact, it is precisely this aspect of soccer that makes it so appealing. It is the only sport that is universally understood and shared by everyone on the planet. Take a look at this: According to a FIFA poll conducted in 2001, nearly 240 million individuals play soccer on a regular basis in more than 200 nations across the world! The most popular sport in the world by far is football (soccer). It is played by men and women, young and old, from all social classes, everywhere in the world. No other sport comes even close. In fact, the only reason why other sports may appear to be more popular is because they are available in many countries and regions where football is popular such as South America, North America, Europe, and Oceania. Soccer is known by many names including fútbol, futbol, footbal, futboll, foootball, futbol, etc. The term "soccer" itself came from the English word "association", which is how we get the term "football club". Association football was the original form of soccer and remains very popular in England and elsewhere in Europe. As you can see, there are many ways to say "soccer" but they all mean the same thing- a ball is kicked around with your feet. Association football is just one of many forms of soccer.