UK
The name developed as a shortening of "Association Football" by which the game was known in order to distinguish it from "Rugby Football" when that game developed in the UK. Eventually soccer in Britain was largely referred to again as just football, the other being just "rugby", but in the US where the game was also played it kept the name soccer to distinguish it from gridiron football. "Soccer" is also used with the same distinguishing effect in countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, where other kinds of football are popular. Both "soccer and "football" are used for the game but in Europe "football" is the accepted name.
