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American football, commonly known as gridiron in the United States and Canada, is a team sport. Two teams of eleven players compete on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offensive, or team in possession of the oval-shaped football, seeks to advance down the field by rushing or throwing the ball, while the defence, or team without custody of the ball, attempts to halt the offense’s progress and seize control of the ball. The offence must gain at least 10 yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, the ball is turned over to the defence; if they succeed, a fresh set of four downs is provided to continue the drive. A touchdown is scored by moving the ball into the other team’s end zone, or a field goal is achieved by kicking the ball through the opponent’s goalposts. At the end of a game, the team with the most points wins.

American football is a sport that originated in the United States and evolved from soccer and rugby. On November 6, 1869, the first American football game was played between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton, utilising regulations based on soccer rules at the time. The snap, the line of scrimmage, eleven-player teams, and the idea of downs were all created through a sequence of rule modifications drafted by Walter Camp, the “Father of American Football,” beginning in 1880. Later rule revisions authorised the forward pass, established the neutral zone, and defined the football’s size and form.

The sport is closely connected to Canadian football, which originated concurrently with and alongside American football (although their rules were developed independently from those of Camp). The majority of the characteristics that set American football apart from rugby and soccer are also seen in Canadian football. The two sports are the most common gridiron football variations.

In the United States, American football is the most popular sport. Professional and college football are the most popular versions of the game, with high school and youth football being the other main levels. In the United States, over 1.1 million high school players and 70,000 college athletes participated in the sport in 2012. The most popular American professional football league, the National Football League, has the largest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world. The Super Bowl, the league’s championship game, is one of the most-watched club sports events in the world. The league is the most lucrative sports league in the world, with an annual revenue of about US$15 billion. Major professional leagues exist across the world, but the sport lacks the global appeal of other American sports such as baseball or basketball.

Rugby and soccer were the forerunners of American football. Rugby, like American football, is a sport in which two teams compete for possession of a ball that can be kicked through goalposts or ran into the goal area of the opponent to earn points.

On November 6, 1869, Rutgers and Princeton, two collegiate teams, played what is thought to be the first American football game. They played with a spherical ball that could not be picked up or transported, and each team had 25 members. It might be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head, or sides, with the purpose of advancing it toward the opponent’s goal. The game ended with a 6″4 Rutgers victory. For several years, collegiate play persisted, with matches played according to the host school’s regulations. On October 19, 1873, representatives from Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers convened to develop a uniform set of regulations for use by all institutions.

Teams of 20 players were required, with fields of 400 by 250 feet (122 m 76 m). Harvard did not participate in the conference because they preferred a rugby-style game that enabled them to run with the ball. After playing both Canadian and American rules against McGill University, the Harvard players favoured the Canadian style of having just 11 men on the field, rushing the ball without being pursued by an opponent, the forward pass, tackling, and utilising an oblong rather than a round ball.

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