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Soccer Games

The Beautiful Game

Do you love soccer games? That’s not unusual. After all, Soccer is the world’s most popular sport. It’s enjoyed in just about every country on the planet, and there are more than a quarter of a billion people who play it regularly, including thousands who play professionally. On top of this, there are also people who play soccer via their computers and games consoles from the comfort of their armchairs. Here at Flames Games, you’ll find a raft of free-to-play games based around this hugely popular pastime. The games here range from specific parts of soccer to wackier combinations of soccer and other popular games. Whichever style of soccer you’re looking to play, there’s a free game here that’ll match it. Why not give one of them a try?

Iconic Soccer Games

Way back in the mists of time — a time, if you can imagine it, before the birth of Cristiano Ronaldo — there were lots of terrible soccer games. Atari’s Pele’s Soccer from 1981 set the standard for football games that neither looked nor played anything like the sport they were emulating. You really just had to look at the picture of Pele on the cover if you wanted any flavor of genuine sport. The actual gameplay was more like playing tiddlywinks. It wasn’t until 1988 and the Commodore 64’s MicroProse Soccer — a game that sounded like a word processor — that things really started to kick off. What set that game apart was that you could curve the ball, thus allowing for the possibility of audacious free kicks. In fact, in that game you could curl the ball all the way round the pitch and back to yourself — like a boomerang — which was arguably a bit much. The point is that MicroProse marked the first moment that a football game was actually fun. And that led to 1991’s Sensible Soccer — a sacred text for fans of football games — and from there the possibilities exploded. In 1993, EA Sports were the first game company to get an official license from FIFA when they brought out FIFA International Soccer on the Sega MegaDrive. Fast forward thirty years and FIFA is now the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world, having sold over 325 million copies.

A Brief History of Soccer

Soccer involves kicking a spherical ball around a rectangular field, all with the simple aim of smashing it into the back of your opponent's net. But how did it all begin? Well, pretty much how you’d imagine it started: with someone kicking something one way and someone else kicking it the other. In the 14th century there were early — and extra violent — versions of football where two villages would go to battle over a lump of wood or slippery leather or, on special occasions, an inflated pig’s bladder. It wasn’t until 1863 that the modern rules were pinned down. With the creation of a “Football Association” in England the game started to look like the one we know and love.

The Basics of Soccer

In case you’ve not caught up with the rules of the most popular sport on the planet, it goes like this: two teams of 11 players face off against one another. Goals are scored when the ball passes through the rectangular posts at either end of the field. The winning team is whoever scores the most goals. Put the ball in your opponent’s net and prevent them doing the same at the other end: simple. That simplicity is part of what makes it so powerful. The beautiful game can be played pretty much anywhere with pretty much anything. If you don’t have a ball, try a crumpled can of Coke. If you don’t have goalposts, use backpacks or traffic cones or Ancient Greek statues. But despite its simplicity and ease of entry, the true artists of soccer — from Pele to Messi to Marta — show how the sport can transcend its origins and become something magical, otherworldly. It’s no wonder that almost half the humans on our planet are soccer fans.

Online Soccer Games

The games you’ll find here incorporate different components of the real-life sport to create brilliant little distractions. You’ll find penalty shootouts, free kicks and other dead-ball situations recreated from the position of the goalkeeper or the taker. If you know about the real sport, then you’ll understand what success looks like — but the specifics will vary a little bit according to the game you’re playing.

Flames Games’s Collection of Football Crossover Games

brings together soccer, the world’s most popular sport, with pachinko, one of the world’s most popular gambling games. There are two versions of this unlikely crossover: the standard and , a variation based on the tournament held in Russia in 2018. Both games take place over a stylized version of a pachinko table, where the object is to get the ball into the goal at the bottom. You can bounce the ball off bumpers or use the players to pass and shoot. Another variation, , mixes soccer with pinball, and takes place over an entire World Cup tournament: from the group stages to the knockout rounds and all the way to the final.

Soccer Games For The Purist

If you want a more realistic soccer experience then you’re in luck;

  • is all about the art of the free kick. You’ll be awarded extra points if you manage to curl a screamer into the top-hand corner.
  • In , you have to suck up the pressure of taking a spot kick — with a major tournament on the line. Pick your corner and don’t choke!
  • In , meanwhile, the tables turn and you take the role of the goalkeeper instead, a chance to dive your way to glory.
  • uses a similar approach — you’re a goalkeeper, or rather, a pair of gloves. It’s all about body language and split-second decisions. You have to react before the ball has even been kicked.
  • incorporates several different elements of the beautiful sport but boiled down into two-minute rounds. You tap and swipe to dribble, tackle or shoot.
  • In , you take the role of a single player across their whole career. Over the course of more than 600 levels, you can progress from the academy right up to winning World Cups and breaking transfer records along the way. See if you can ascend all the way to God-like status, your name on the back of every kid’s shirt!

Something A Little Different

But if you’re not too concerned with what goes on in a real-world soccer game, you might opt for a something more outlandish. In Cartoon Network’s , you pick from a range of beloved characters to face off against one another on the pitch. Ever wondered whether The Powerpuff Girls have a talent for slide tackling? Ever wanted to see Princess Bubblegum do a rainbow kick? Of course you have – and now’s your chance!

FAQs

What are soccer games?

Soccer games are an interactive form of the world's most popular sport, and cast you, the player, in the role of striker, midfielder, defender and goalkeeper. You'll need to consider—and constantly adjust—your strategy while keeping a cool head in those key moments if you are to triumph over some of the world's best players!

Where can I play soccer games?

You guessed it—right here on Flames Games! All of our soccer games are available to play online via a web browser, with no dedicated console or hefty price tag to worry about. Just choose the title that inspires you, look your opposite number in the eye and kick off today!