When it comes to sports, American football cannot compete with the superior sport of soccer. Soccer has a deep history, worldwide recognition and an infinite amount of unique characteristics that make its international claim as “football” the only one worth considering.

Known worldwide, soccer allows anyone, anywhere, to play regardless of language, gender or socioeconomic status. In fact, soccer is widely regarded as the world’s favorite sport. And it’s not hard to see why.

The 2010 World Cup alone resulted in close to 400 million viewers per match and broadcasted in 70 countries. According to FIFA, the International Federation of Football Associations, close to 700 million viewers watched the world cup final. In 2010, only 106 million tuned in to watch American football in the Super Bowl.

One could attribute the difference to American football’s presence only in the United States, but it’s exactly the restriction of American football to the United States that make soccer’s international, no, transnational popularity more important in comparison.

Differing fan bases aside, both American football and soccer have the same amount of field players and close to the same requirements of a field. But there are multiple differences regarding everything else.

During football games, there are various breaks including a series of 40 second breaks, commercial breaks and even time-outs depending on each game. Soccer, on the other hand, does not allow time-outs or scheduled breaks. A soccer match is played in two 45 minute halves with a single half time as the only time of rest.

During the numerous breaks in a football game, it is easy to see the constant substitutions that take place on and off the field. This allows for players to rest at anytime. Soccer though, is only allowed a total of three substitutions per game, thus forcing soccer players to be more fit and conscious of their surroundings to avoid injury or error.

It should also be noted that soccer players play both offense and defense, while in football, designated players are assigned to different positions. Moreover, the offense and defense in football are not on the field at the same time, allowing players to rest while their teammates take the field.

Through the infinite number of substitutions allowed in football, the depth of a football team is much greater than that of a soccer team. A soccer roster usually consists of 20-25 players while football teams can amount to 100 or more on a roster.

An average soccer match requires players to be running and moving continuously for 90 minutes. It has even been said that soccer players run an average of five to seven miles in each game.

Again, football players are only required to work for very short periods at a time. In addition to fitness, soccer players are also required to keep their minds engaged at all times. This is because, unlike football where plays are written and simply memorized, soccer players must use their individual creativity to make plays and connect with their teammates at less than a second’s notice.

Keep in mind that soccer players do everything with their feet and occasionally their head, the only player on the field that is allowed to use their hands as well as their feet is the goalkeeper.

Soccer players must use their eye-foot coordination much like football players, as well as eye-foot coordination and even a heightened depth perception. While athletes of each sport possess different talents it is obvious that soccer players require a higher level of fitness, focus and ability.

Despite my personal respect for the game of football, there is no doubt that soccer is the world’s favorite sport for more than one reason. Soccer draws hundreds of millions of fans that appreciate the unstructured nature of a fast moving game, which requires the highest level of athletic ability, creativity and focus that make the game of soccer a sport played and admired by everyone around the world.