Why the US might finally start calling soccer ‘football’

James Robson, MDT/AP Soccer Writer

It is the world’s most popular sport – but what should it be called? Football or soccer?

U.S. President Donald Trump joked about the topic at the Club World Cup final in New Jersey last Sunday, suggesting he could pass an executive order to bring Americans in line with most of the world and call it football.

“I think I could do that,” he said with a smile during an interview with DAZN. “They call it football, we call it soccer. I’m not sure that change could be made very easily.”

The comment was light-hearted, but the debate resurfaces as the U.S. plays a growing role in global soccer. It will co-host the 2026 men’s World Cup with Canada and Mexico, following the 2024 Copa America and this year’s Club World Cup.

Soccer’s footprint is also expanding in U.S. culture. Lionel Messi now plays for Inter Miami in MLS. The Premier League and Champions League enjoy surging viewership, and the hit documentary “Welcome to Wrexham,” about a Welsh club co-owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, has brought new fans to the game.

Though often linked with the U.S., the term “soccer” was actually coined in Britain, probably in the 1880s, as a nickname for “association football.” The exact origin is unclear, but it’s believed that students at schools like Harrow used it to distinguish the new association rules from other football variants like rugby or “footer.”

Numerous football-like games existed by then – some involving handling the ball. The English Football Association codified the rules of association football in 1863, setting it apart from other versions. From there, the sport we now call soccer was born.

Dr. Stefan Szymanski, a sport management professor at the University of Michigan, has traced the name’s origin in his book “It’s Football, Not Soccer (And Vice Versa”). In a 2019 lecture, he explained that “soccer” was clearly of British origin and had been used since the late 19th century.

In fact, “soccer” was once widely used in Britain. Sky Sports ran a show called Soccer AM from 1994 to 2023. England great Bobby Charlton’s training camps were known as “Bobby Charlton’s Soccer School.” Manchester United manager Matt Busby titled his 1974 autobiography “Soccer at the Top.” At the time, “soccer” and “football” were often interchangeable in British culture.

Szymanski has argued that the aversion to “soccer” today is less about the word itself and more about who uses it – namely, Americans. Critics often point out that American football is “not really football,” but given the sport’s popularity in the U.S., it makes sense to distinguish the two.

And Americans aren’t alone. In Australia, where Australian rules football and rugby dominate, “soccer” is widely used, even though the national governing body is called Football Australia and the men’s team is nicknamed the Socceroos. In Ireland, where Gaelic football is popular, “soccer” is used conversationally, though the national team plays under the Football Association of Ireland. In Canada, the distinction is also clear  – it’s soccer, not to be confused with the NFL or Canadian Football League.

The AP Stylebook uses “soccer” in U.S. contexts but notes the sport is known globally as football.

[Abridged]