Published 2026-06-16 18:00
The term soccer actually originated in the U.K.
Soccer fans around the world are watching the FIFA World Cup right now.
Most of these fans call it football — but in two of the three host countries, it’s officially known as soccer.
It’s a debate that’s almost as old as the game itself — and it all started in England, according to the Football Association in England.
CBC Kids News contributor Natasha Manikavasager explains why Canadians call it soccer instead of football.
Why people in North America are unlikely to start calling it football
For a while, the terms soccer and football were used interchangeably.
But the debate really heated up when the sport became more popular in North America during the 1900s, according to the Football Association.
That’s because there was already a sport in Canada and the United States named football — the one with touchdowns and endzones.
“[The rest of the world is] never going to change it,” said Stefan Shemanski, a sports management professor at the University of Michigan.
He said the debate is pointless because it’s really just a matter of popular culture.
The United States dominates things like music, film and television — but football is one area where English culture continues to dominate.
For the most part, that’s why people around the world prefer to call it football, including Shemanski.
“If the Americans took it over, then good heavens, we’d all have to call it soccer. And that would be a terrible thing,” he said.
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With files from Laurence Watt/CBC British Columbia
TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Stu Forster/Getty Images
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Natasha Manikavasager
CBC Kids News Contributor
Natasha is a Grade 11 student from Brampton, Ontario. She loves acting, singing and music. She was able to express her creativity thanks to the drama program at her high school, which also helped grow her love for musical theatre.
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