ing counterparts like basketball or cricket.
Part of the reason for soccer’s enduring popularity lies
in history. Not only is the game one of the oldest - the
rules of football were already codified in 1863 - but it has
its roots in England, a country that once ruled history’s
largest non-contiguous empire. Soccer was brought to
South America and Africa by British immigrants, a byproduct of incredible British soft power at the time, and
has remained popular ever since.
The game’s global nature helps expla [