If I’m talking to an English speaker from outside of the US, is there any confusion if I say “soccer”?

For example, when I was in college a friend asked for a “torch”. I was confused for quite some time, because I didn’t know it was another word for “flashlight”. Does the same thing happen with the word “soccer”? Should I clarify by saying, “…or football”?

Thank you!

  • Taalen@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Not a native English speaker, but my hunch is, soccer will almost certainly be understood. Also it will identify you as American.

      • wjrii@kbin.social
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        7 months ago

        And Australia, at least when they’re not trying to suck up to the British.

          • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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            7 months ago

            Yeah, soccer is actually an English term that they created to refer to association football, as opposed to rugby football or the hundreds of other forms of football.

          • CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net
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            7 months ago

            If an Englishman uses ‘soccer’ he’s almost certainly from the upper class.

            As “soccer” was played by the elite (such as the Oxford lad who is said to have coined “soccer”), it soon spread to the working classes, and became “football”.

        • Th4tGuyII@kbin.social
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          7 months ago

          Canada is in North America the continent, which the US (sometimes referred to as America) is also in - saying Canada is America is like saying Great Britain is Europe

          Edit: NA is a sub-continent, not the continent

          Edit 2: Scratch Edit 1

        • Otter@lemmy.ca
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          7 months ago

          But not mexico or stuff in central / south america

    • Zippy@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      But if an American says football, that can create a bit of confusion.