The modern sport of Soccer was founded in the mid 1900’s in England. In an effort to unite the various versions of soccer being played at the time the Football Association (The FA) was formed in London in 1863. The Football Association created the first set of 13 standardized rules in 1871 upon which the modern game is played.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the international governing body of soccer. FIFA was founded in 1904 and has 208 member associations. FIFA is responsible for the organization and governance of footballs major international tournaments, most notably the FIFA World Cup, held since 1930. The list of international tournaments includes: FIFA World Cup, FIFA Confederations Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup, FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, FIFA U-17 World Cup, FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, Men’s Olympic Football Tournament and Women’s Olympic Football Tournament.
Today the laws of soccer are determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The IFAB is made up of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of the
boards founding associations (England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales). In Canada, the sport is governed by the Canadian Soccer Association, which was established in 1912. The Canadian Soccer Association has 12 member associations (Canada’s 10 provinces and two territories) and one associate member (Nunavut).
Soccer, often referred as the “World’s Game,” is the now widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world.
