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American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football,[1] is a competitive team sport known for mixing strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball[2] into the opposing team's end zone. The ball can be advanced by carrying it (a running play) or by throwing it to a teammate (a passing play). Points can be scored in a variety of ways, including carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line; catching a pass from beyond that goal line; kicking the ball through the goal posts at the opponent's end zone; and tackling an opposing ballcarrier within his end zone. The winner is the team with the most points when the time expires. The sport is also played outside the United States. National leagues exist in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Japan, Mexico, Israel, Spain, Austria and several Pacific Island nations. The National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the world, ran a developmental league in Europe from 1991–1992 and then from 1995–2006. American football is closely related to Canadian football, but with significant differences. Both sports originated from rugby football. The history of American football can be traced to early versions of rugby football and soccer. Both games have their origins in varieties of football played in the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century, in which a ball is kicked at a goal and/or run over a line. Also like soccer, American football has twenty two players on the field of play. Furthermore, some player position references from soccer are used, such as the term "halfback" and "fullback".
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