What do you call this sport? It's not just football or soccer
Association football is the most popular sport in the world, but there is no consensus around the world for what it is called. The chief governing body is FIFA - Fédération Internationale de Football Association, though you don't hear people calling it Association football, usually it's soccer or football, and in non-English speaking countries, it is often some form of the word football, written phonetically (e.g. "futbol") or a translation of the word football.
In the UK, the term Association football came about to distinguish the game from the other versions of football played at the time (e.g. rugby football), and from the 'association' part of the name came the word soccer (assoc.).
Although the name soccer came out of the UK, there it is predominantly called football, while elsewhere in a few English speaking countries colonized by the British it is called soccer. You will find that soccer is still the main term for the game in countries in which there is another major sport called football (e.g. USA, Canada, Australia). Check out our poll on what do you call it?
As you can see in the list below, the sport is not just called either football or soccer. In some countries, the name of the sport may not be clearly one or another, and for some countries and languages it is evolving, typically countries that have traditionally called it soccer are starting to more regularly call it football.
I have tried to find the most commonly used name in each country, and included others if known. In countries in which there is more than one language spoken, there can be more than one name for the game. The lists are not complete. If you have any additions, comments or corrections, please let me know or add to the comments at the base of the page.
Name by Nation
| Country | What It Is Called | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | فوټبال | translation of 'football' in Pashto, one of the two major languages in Afghanistan |
| Albania | futboll | |
| Algeria | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| American Samoa | soccer | |
| Andorra | futbol | that's how you say football in Catalan, the sole official language of Andorra. |
| Angola | futebol | football in Portuguese |
| Anguilla | football | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | football | |
| Argentina | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Armenia | ֆուտբոլ) | translation of 'football' in Armenian |
| Aruba | voetbal | |
| Australia | Soccer and Football | The national body is the Football Federation of Australia, but most of the population call it soccer, as there are other popular football codes, Australian Rules and Rugby. Referring to soccer as football is becoming more common. |
| Austria | Fußball | |
| Azerbaijan | futbol | |
| The Bahamas | football | |
| Bahrain | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Bangladesh | football | the sport in Bangladesh is run by the Bangladesh Football Federation |
| Barbados | football | |
| Belarus | футбол (futbol) | translation of 'football' in Belarusian |
| Belgium | football | |
| Belize | football | |
| Benin | football | |
| Bermuda | football | |
| Bhutan | ||
| Bolivia | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | nogomet | the word is derived from "noga", meaning "leg" |
| Botswana | ||
| Brazil | futebol | |
| British Virgin Islands | ||
| Brunei Darussalam | ||
| Bulgaria | футбол | Bulgarian for 'football' |
| Burkina Faso | football | |
| Burundi | football | |
| Cambodia | បាល់ទាត់ (balteat) | |
| Cameroon | football | |
| Canada | Soccer and Football | For most Canadians "football" is associated with Canadian or American football, but referring to soccer as football is becoming more common. |
| Cape Verde | ||
| Cayman Islands | ||
| Central African Republic | football | |
| Chad | football | |
| Chile | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| China | 足球 | the characters mean 足 = foot and 球 = ball |
| Chinese Taipei | ||
| Colombia | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Comoros | football | |
| Congo | football | |
| Congo DR | football | |
| Cook Islands | ||
| Costa Rica | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Cote d’Ivoire | football | |
| Croatia | nogomet | the word is derived from "noga", meaning "leg" |
| Cuba | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Curaçao | voetbal | the Dutch word for football |
| Cyprus | "mappa" (μάππα) | means "ball" in greek-cypriot |
| Czechia | fotbal | kopaná for "kick game" is also used |
| Demark | fodbold | |
| Djibouti | football | |
| Dominica | football | |
| Dominican Republic | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Ecuador | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Egypt | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| El Salvador | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| England | football | |
| Equatorial Guinea | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Eritrea | ||
| Estonia | jalgpall | |
| Eswatini | ||
| Ethiopia | ||
| Faroe Islands | ||
| Fiji | ||
| Finland | jalkapallo | |
| France | football | |
| Gabon | football | |
| Gambia | ||
| Georgia | ფეხბურთი (pekhburti) | from ფეხი (pekhi = foot) and ბურთი (burti = ball) |
| Germany | Fußball | |
| Ghana | ||
| Greece | ποδόσφαιρο (podosphero) | from πόδι (podi) = "foot" and σφαίρα (sphera) = "sphere / ball" |
| Grenada | football | |
| Guam | ||
| Guatemala | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Guinea | football | |
| Guinea-Bissau | ||
| Guyana | ||
| Haiti | foutbòl | 'football' in Haitian Creole |
| Honduras | fútbol (footbal) | |
| Hong Kong | football | |
| Hungary | futball | the official term is labdarúgás, literally "ball-kicking", but foci is used in the common language. |
| Iceland | fótbolti or knattspyrna | knattspyrna come from knatt = ball and spyrna = kicking |
| India | फ़ुटबॉल (futabol) | as spoken in Hindi language |
| Indonesia | Sepak bola | meaning kick-ball |
| Iran | ||
| Iraq | ||
| Ireland | football or soccer | both football and soccer terms are used. In Ireland, football can refer to association football or Gaelic football. Soccer is becoming less common, but remains strong in areas where there is another "football". |
| Israel | כדורגל (kaduregel) | joining the words "כדור" (kadur: ball) and "רגל" (regel: foot, leg) |
| Italy | calcio | calcio is from the word calciare, meaning to kick. |
| Jamaica | football | |
| Japan | sakkā (サッカー) or futtobōru (フットボール) | The term sakkā has become more common since the 2nd world war because of the American influence, despite Japan's federation being called the JFA. The native Japanese word for football, shuukyuu (่นด็ ), which is literally foot(่นด) ball(็ ). The word is regarded as quaint now but was commonly used before the Second World War. |
| Jordan | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Kazakhstan | футбол (fwtbol) | |
| Kenya | ||
| North Korea (Korea DPR) | ||
| South Korea (Korea Republic) | chuggu (蹴球 축구) | meaning "kick-ball" |
| Kuwait | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Kyrgyzstan | Жаныбарлар (janıbarlar) | |
| Laos | ບານເຕະ (ban-te) | literally meaning "ball-kicking" |
| Latvia | futbols | in Latvian it is also called kājbumba |
| Lebanon | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Lesotho | soccer | |
| Liberia | football and soccer | |
| Libya | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Liechtenstein | Fußball | |
| Lithuania | futbolą | |
| Luxembourg | futbolas | |
| Macau | ||
| Madagascar | baolina kitra | |
| Malawi | ||
| Malaysia | phutball ഫുട്ബോൾ | also, "Bolasepak" meaning ball-kick is used. |
| Maldives | ||
| Mali | football | |
| Malta | futbol | |
| Mauritania | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Mauritius | ||
| Mexico | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Moldova | ||
| Monaco | football | |
| Mongolia | хөлбөмбөг (khölbömbög) | |
| Montenegro | ||
| Montserrat | ||
| Morocco | football | |
| Mozambique | futebol | |
| Myanmar | ball-pwe | a pwe is a rural all-night dance party |
| Namibia | futebol | |
| Nepal | फुटबल (Phutabala) | |
| Netherlands / Holland | voetbal | |
| Netherlands Antilles | voetbal | |
| New Caledonia | football | |
| New Zealand | soccer and football | there has been a recent shift in usage from soccer to football |
| Nicaragua | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Niger | football | |
| Nigeria | football and soccer | |
| Northern Ireland | football | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | ||
| North Macedonia | фудбал (fudbal) | |
| Norway | fotball | |
| Oman | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Pakistan | football and soccer | ਫੁੱਟਬਾਲ (Phutabāla) in Punjabi |
| Palestine | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Panama | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Papua New Guinea | soka | |
| Paraguay | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Peru | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Philippines | soccer and football | Soccer is more common, a result of the American influence |
| Poland | futbol | the sport is also known as piłka nożna from piłka (ball) and noga (leg). |
| Portugal | futebol | |
| Puerto Rico | soccer or fútbol | It's called the Puerto Rican Football Federation, while their top league is the Puerto Rico Soccer League, however thr 2nd division is named Liga Nacional de Futbol de Puerto Rico. |
| Qatar | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Romania | fotbal | |
| Russia | футбол - futbol | |
| Rwanda | football | |
| Samoa | soka or football | |
| San Marino | calcio | |
| Sao Tome e Principe | ||
| Saudi Arabia | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Scotland | football | |
| Senegal | football | |
| Serbia | фудбал - fudbal | |
| Seychelles | football | |
| Sierra Leone | ||
| Singapore | football and soccer | |
| Slovakia | futbal | |
| Slovenia | nogomet | the word is derived from "noga", meaning "leg" |
| Solomon Islands | ||
| Somalia | kubadda cagta | |
| South Africa | soccer | sokker in Afrikaans |
| Spain | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Sri Lanka | පා පන්ද | from the words foot and ball in Sinhala |
| St Kitts and Nevis | football | |
| St Lucia | football | |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | football | |
| Sudan | maén bal | |
| Suriname | voetbal | |
| Sweden | fotboll | |
| Switzerland | football | |
| Syria | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Tahiti | ||
| Tajikistan | футбол - futbol | |
| Tanzania | ||
| Thailand | ฟุตบอล - fút-bol | |
| Timor-Leste | ||
| Togo | football | |
| Tonga | ||
| Trinidad & Tobago | football | |
| Tunisia | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Türkiye / Turkey | futbol | |
| Turkmenistan | ||
| Turks and Caicos Islands | ||
| Uganda | ||
| Ukraine | футбол - futbol | |
| United Arab Emirates | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Uruguay | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| US Virgin Islands | soccer | |
| USA | soccer | The word football is used to refer to American football, the dominant football code |
| Uzbekistan | futbol | |
| Vanuatu | football | |
| Venezuela | fútbol | the Spanish term for football |
| Vietnam | "bóng đá" and "đá banh" | both terms literally mean "kicking ball" |
| Wales | pêl-droed | fooball in the Welsh language |
| Yemen | كرة القدم (kurat alqadam) | football in Arabic |
| Zaire | ||
| Zambia | ||
| Zimbabwe |
sources: the names used around the world for Association Football has been collected from various sources, including originally many from wikipedia, google translate, and added to from visitor feedback.
Name by Language
Here are the names for Association Football in the languages of the world. There are 207 languages listed. The names are taken from each Wikipedia page for the sport 'Association Football' in each of these languages.
| Language | Name for Association Football |
|---|---|
| Abkhazian | Ашьапылампыл |
| Acehnese | Sipak bhan |
| Adyghe | Лъэпэеу |
| Afrikaans | Sokker |
| Albanian | Futbolli |
| Alemannic | Fussball |
| Amharic | እግር ኳስ |
| Anglo-Saxon | Gyldfōtþōðer |
| Arabic | كرة القدم |
| Aragonese | Fútbol |
| Armenian | Ֆուտբոլ |
| Assamese | ফুটবল |
| Asturian | Fútbol |
| Aymara | Phutwul |
| Azerbaijani | Futbol |
| Banjar | Main bal |
| Banyumasan | Bal-balan |
| Bashkir | Футбол |
| Basque | Futbol |
| Bavarian | Fuaßboi |
| Belarusian | Футбол |
| Belarusian | Футбол |
| Bengali | ফুটবল |
| Bhojpuri | फुटबाल |
| Bosnian | Nogomet |
| Breton | Mell-droad |
| Bulgarian | Футбол |
| Burmese | ဘောလုံးကစားခြင်း |
| Buryat (Russia) | Футбол |
| Cantonese | 足球 |
| Catalan | Futbol |
| Cebuano | Saker |
| Chechen | Футбол |
| Chichewa | Mpira |
| Chinese | 足球 |
| Chuvash | Футбол |
| Classical Chinese | 足球 |
| Corsican | Pallò |
| Croatian | Nogomet |
| Czech | Fotbal |
| Danish | Fodbold |
| Dinka | Adiircök |
| Doteli | फुटबल खेल |
| Dutch | Voetbal |
| Dutch Low Saxon | Vootbal |
| Eastern Punjabi | ਫੁੱਟਬਾਲ |
| Egyptian Arabic | كورة قدم |
| English | Association football |
| Erzya | Пильгеоска |
| Esperanto | Futbalo |
| Estonian | Jalgpall |
| Extremaduran | Fubu |
| Faroese | Fótbóltur |
| Fijian | Soka |
| Finnish | Jalkapallo |
| Franco-Provençal/Arpitan | Calço |
| French | Football |
| Friulian | Balon |
| Galician | Fútbol |
| Gan Chinese | 腳球 |
| Georgian | ფეხბურთი |
| German | Fußball |
| Gothic | 𐍆𐍉𐍄𐌿𐌱𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰 |
| Greek | Ποδόσφαιρο |
| Guarani | Vakapipopo (Jetepyso) |
| Guianan Creole | Football |
| Gujarati | અસોસિએશન ફુટબોલ |
| Haitian | Foutbòl |
| Hakka | Chiuk-khiù |
| Hebrew | כדורגל |
| Hindi | फुटबॉल |
| Hungarian | Labdarúgás |
| Icelandic | Knattspyrna |
| Ido | Futbalo |
| Igbo | Footbọl |
| Ilokano | Putbol |
| Indonesian | Sepak bola |
| Interlingua | Football |
| Interlingue | Football |
| Inuktitut | ᐊᔪᒃᑕᖅ |
| Irish | Sacar |
| Italian | Calcio (sport) |
| Japanese | サッカー |
| Javanese | Bal-balan |
| Kabiye | Pɔɔlɩ maɖʋ |
| Kabyle | Ddabex uḍar |
| Kannada | ಅಸ್ಸೋಸಿಯೆಷನ್ ಫುಟ್ಬಾಲ್ |
| Karakalpak | Futbol |
| Kashubian | Bala |
| Kazakh | Футбол |
| Khmer | បាល់ទាត់ |
| Kinyarwanda | Umupira w'amaguru |
| Komi | Коксяр |
| Konkani | Futbol |
| Korean | 축구 |
| Kurdish | Futbol |
| Kyrgyz | Футбол |
| Lak | Футбол |
| Lao | ເຕະບານ |
| Latin | Pediludium |
| Latvian | Futbols |
| Lezgian | Футбол |
| Ligurian | Zeugo do ballon |
| Limburgish | Voetbal |
| Lingala | Motópi |
| Lithuanian | Futbolas |
| Livvi-Karelian | Jalgumiäččy |
| Lombard | Balun |
| Low Saxon | Football |
| Lower Sorbian | Kopańca |
| Luxembourgish | Foussball |
| Macedonian | Фудбал |
| Maithili | फुटबल |
| Malagasy | Baolina kitra |
| Malay | Bola sepak |
| Malayalam | ഫുട്ബോൾ |
| Maltese | Futbol |
| Manx | Soccer |
| Marathi | फुटबॉल |
| Mazandarani | فوتوال |
| Meadow Mari | Футбол |
| Min Dong | Kă-giù |
| Min Nan | Kha-kiû |
| Minangkabau | Sipak bola |
| Mingrelian | კუჩხბურთი |
| Mirandese | Bola (çporto) |
| Mongolian | Хөлбөмбөг |
| Nāhuatl | Neicxitapayolhuiliztli |
| Neapolitan | Pallone |
| Nepali | फुटबल खेल |
| North Frisian | Futbaal |
| Northern Sami | Spábbačiekčan |
| Northern Sotho | Kgwele ya maoto |
| Norwegian | Fotball |
| Norwegian | Fotball |
| Novial | Balonpede |
| Occitan | Fotbòl |
| Old Church Slavonic | Фоутболъ |
| Ossetian | Футбол |
| Pashto | فوټبال |
| Pennsylvania German | Soccer |
| Persian | فوتبال |
| Picard | Fotbale |
| Polish | Piłka nożna |
| Portuguese | Futebol |
| Quechua | Sinku hayt'ay |
| Ripuarian | Foßball |
| Romanian | Fotbal |
| Romansh | Ballape |
| Russian | Футбол |
| Rusyn | Фотбал |
| Sakha | Буутбал |
| Samoan | Soka |
| Samogitian | Fotbuols |
| Santali | ᱪᱤᱸᱰᱩ (ᱯᱷᱩᱴᱵᱚᱞ) |
| Sardinian | Fùbalu |
| Saterland Frisian | Foutbal |
| Scots | Fitbaw |
| Scottish Gaelic | Ball-coise |
| Serbian | Фудбал |
| Serbo-Croatian | Fudbal |
| Shona | Nhabvu |
| Sicilian | Palluni (sport) |
| Silesian | Fusbal |
| Slovak | Futbal |
| Slovene | Nogomet |
| Somali | Kubadda Cagta |
| Sorani Kurdish | تۆپی پێ |
| Southern Azerbaijani | فوتبال |
| Spanish | Fútbol |
| Sundanese | Maén bal |
| Swahili | Mpira wa miguu |
| Swedish | Fotboll |
| Tagalog | Futbol |
| Tajik | Футбол |
| Tamil | கால்பந்து கூட்டமைப்பு |
| Tatar | Футбол |
| Telugu | కాల్బంతి |
| Thai | ฟุตบอล |
| Tibetan | རྐང་རྩེད་སྤོ་ལོ། |
| Tok Pisin | Soka |
| Tulu | ಸಾಕರ್ |
| Turkish | Futbol |
| Turkmen | Futbol |
| Ukrainian | Футбол |
| Upper Sorbian | Kopańca |
| Urdu | ایسوسی ایشن فٹ بال |
| Uzbek | Futbol |
| Venetian | Bałon (spor) |
| Vietnamese | Bóng đá |
| Võro | Jalgpall |
| Walloon | Fotbale |
| Waray | Futbol |
| Welsh | Pêl-droed |
| West Flemish | Voetbol |
| West Frisian | Fuotbal |
| Western Armenian | Ֆութպոլ |
| Western Punjabi | فٹ بال |
| Wolof | Football |
| Wu | 足球 |
| Xhosa | Ibhola ekhatywayo |
| Yiddish | פוטבאל |
| Yoruba | Bọ́ọ̀lù-ẹlẹ́sẹ̀ |
| Zazaki | Futbol |
| Zhuang | Cukgiuz |
| Zulu | Ibhola |
Related Pages
- See the list of national team nicknames
- POLL: What do you call this sport - football or soccer?
- About sporting team nicknames from around the world
- About Soccer Teams and Leagues
- Soccer Lists
- Sport Names in Other Languages
Selected Comments
- in Australia we call it soccer, we don't use the term football as football refers to the sport that we are well known for, we love football but don't think of soccer too much. Football is the oval-shaped ball with lace on it in Australia, we call it soccer, the black and white circle ball. (from Ruby, June 2023)
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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