In America, we generally treat football as the best sport in the world. Then comes sports like baseball, basketball, hockey, occasionally golf, but Americans don’t shed too much light on the World’s most universal sport: soccer. How we treat soccer is definitely very different than how the rest of the world treats soccer. In fact, that’s what makes soccer so beautiful. It is the only sport that translates to the entire world, a universal language we can all share and understand.

The one thing that separates soccer from every other sport is its accessibility. Anyone, from the poor to the rich, can play soccer. All of its equipment and setup can easily be made from a stuffed rags, a few sticks and an imagination. No matter what social class you come from or background, soccer is a sport that can easily be set up, learned and played. I mean if you think about it, soccer is the only sport that features some of the poorest nations on the planet. Which, in turn, gives these countries something they can be proud of and cheer for which ultimately leads to pride and honor despite social class.

Listen to this: According to a 2001 FIFA survey, over 240 million people regularly play soccer in more than 200 countries, in every part of the world!

In this image, taken from a Vox post written by Joseph Stormberg, the blue countries were accepted into the 2014 World Cup while the orange countries didn’t quite make the cut. Point is, this shows how many countries practice and play soccer, even to a professional level in order to gain their spots in the World Cup.

Soccer, a simple game for anyone and everyone, provides hope and honor for the people of the country. It’s something to look forward to, something for fellow peers and citizens to cheer for, and a huge honor when winning the World Cup. Just because you grew up very poor, doesn’t mean you don’t have the same opportunity as a rich person to be a professional soccer player.