The world's most popular sport has been around in one form or another for a long time. Known throughout the majority of the world as football, there are only a handful of areas that use the word "soccer" for the game. Depending on who is asked, there might be any number of differing responses to the origins of this word. Many people might consider soccer to be an American invention, but this is not the case.

History
The game of soccer has many names. Even though now the game of soccer is played worldwide under the same set of standard rules, games closely resembling soccer have been played for more than 2,000 years. The earliest evidence of a similar game, known as "cuju," dates to 2,500 BCE and was played throughout China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. Reference to games where a ball was kicked can be found in ancient Greece, Rome and medieval England as well. European explorers landing in Greenland in the 16th century witnessed Inuit natives playing a similar game as did Native Americans in the vicinity of the Virginia settlements.

Association and Rugby Football
Up until the middle of the 19th century, games resembling modern versions of soccer and rugby were played in England. Both were much rougher versions of what we know now of the sport. Association football was the name given to what is today commonly known as football or soccer. In those days, association football was a much different sport and allowed tripping, kicking an opponent and the use of hands. Both sports were similar. It was during this time that many leagues began to form their own sets of rules for the sports.

Cambridge Rules
In 1848, students at Cambridge University met with students from other area schools on the campus of Trinity College, Cambridge, to form a code of rules to govern the sport. Over the course of a day, this group created what would later be considered the first set of modern soccer rules. These rules included throw-ins, goal kicks and the precursor to the off sides' rule and penalizing teams for goal tending. The Cambridge Rules led to the establishment of other groups forming their own sets of rules. The efforts of these various groups led to the formation of the Football Association (FA), which governs the sport and still exists today.

Soccer Appears
Not long after this time, the word "soccer" first began to appear. Students at Oxford University were in the habit of abbreviating names and adding an "-er" ending to them. Rugby became "ruggers." Association football became "soccer." The new word was attributed to Charles Wreford-Brown, who later went on to become an important official in the FA.

Speculation
Another possibility has also been suggested for the origin of the word "soccer.' The etymology for the word "soccer" leads to its recent common ancestor, "socc." Though this sounds remarkably similar to the word "sock," there is a different connotation suggested. Originally, the word "socc," stemming from the Latin "soccus," referred to a type of shoe and is first mentioned during the 8th century. During medieval times, maps sometimes showed open areas listed as "soceries" and could lend further credibility to this word used by many for the game.

Soccer Countries
Although most every country in the world refers to the sport as "football," there are a handful that do not. The obvious 2 countries that use the term "soccer" are the United States and Australia. Both countries have sports that already use the term "football." In the United States, the sport is gridiron football; in Australia, the Australian Rules Football takes precedence. The sport is also called "soccer" in Canada, which also has a form of football similar to that played in the United States, New Zealand and Iceland.