England's Football Association first legalized professional soccer players in 1885.
The mascots for the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany were two boy characters named Tip and Tap.
The African Cup of Nations, the main international football competition in Africa, was first held in 1957.
Columbus Crew Stadium, which opened in 1999, was the first stadium in the US built specifically for a MLS team. It has a seating capacity of 22,500.
The U.S. Women's National Team's top two career goal scorers, Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly, were teammates at the University of North Carolina.