7 Differences Between Soccer And American Football

Soccer and American Football are the most popular sports in the respective nations from which they originate (the UK and USA) and only continue to grow in global popularity. 

While the two games are often labeled ‘football’ in certain countries around the world, they are far from the same and clearly varied in many aspects.

But what are 7 differences between Soccer And American Football?

1. Name Of The Game

Whilst known as Soccer in the States, worldwide the sport of ‘Football’ got its name for a very simple reason, most players using their feet to play the majority of the game.

But why does American Football carry the word ‘football’ in its name?

After all, the sport isn’t based on the foot and mostly involves throwing, catching, or carrying the ball instead. A more logical branding could be ‘throwball’ or ‘catchball’ surely? The true origin of the name is unknown but because the ball is roughly one foot in length then this seems likely.

‘Soccer’ on the other hand derives from the phrase ‘association football.’ With your newfound knowledge of American Football, why not check out the latest NFL odds 

2. On The Ball

Whilst both sports are played with a single ball, the shape and use of the object are very different.

Soccer balls are simple in design, round, and perfect for kicking or rolling smoothly whereas American footballs are almost egg-shaped with giant stitches along one of their sides. They are ideal for gripping, streamlined through the air, and easier to grip than a soccer ball. 

American footballs don’t bounce across the playing surface as predictably as soccer balls and often rebound in random directions.  

3. Field Of Play

The playing area in each sport varies greatly. The standard dimensions of an NFL field are 91.4 meters long and 48.8 meters wide. The surface is marked out in ten-yard or nine-meter sections with an “end zone” line and two upright ‘rugby’ style posts at either end.

A soccer field or ‘pitch’ is designed differently. It is slightly longer than an American Football field at 105 meters and 68 meters across which is much wider. The surface has two semicircles in the middle and a box placed just over seven meters in front of each goal. This area indicates where the goalkeeper is permitted to handle the ball.

4. Aims And Goals

Soccer is the more simplistic of the two games with its aims more easily explained. 

The objective is to kick the ball into the opponent’s net and score a goal. Whichever team scores the most goals wins the game.

However, American football is based around “touchdowns.” The aim is to avoid being tackled whilst carrying the ball into the opposition’s end zone and thus score. A touchdown is worth six points followed by an additional point if a player then successfully kicks through the posts.

A major difference is that soccer games are in a tie or ‘draw.’ In comparison, American football matches are generally high-scoring and whenever there is a tie, “overtime” is played with the team who scores first winning.

5. Player Management

Both Soccer and American Football involve eleven players per team featuring on the field at once. The differences lie in how players are used as part of in-game tactics.

Whereas the same eleven players play through most of a soccer match with only a handful of substitutes, American football teams continuously switch their personnel in and out of the game depending on whether they are attacking or defending.

6. League Logistics

Both sports function in a league format.

American Football’s NFL sees the same 32 teams face off against each other every single season. No matter if your team wins every game or loses regularly, they get the chance to compete with the same teams again the following campaign.

In soccer, leagues are divided into numerous divisions with the three or four teams finishing towards the bottom of each competition being relegated to the league below and the top sides promoted to the division above.

7. Fanbase

Whilst both sports are undeniably popular globally, the difference between the size of their fan bases remains vast.

The NFL has over 410 million fans worldwide and yet a large proportion of these supporters originate from within North America itself. Soccer has an estimated fandom of around 3.5 billion people with fans following a multitude of teams from every conceivable part of the world.

To further compare, the Superbowl attracts around 115 million viewers at its peak and Soccer’s World Cup Final sees audience figures of 1.5 billion people, which is one-fifth of the world’s population!