The Martian Soccer League Taking Mars By Storm
By Kendrick Cornwallis
Published May 22, 2026
Soccer, or football outside of the US, has been the most popular sport on Earth for over a century, and there’s no sign of it stopping. So, when humans came to Mars, they had to adapt soccer to their new environment. That’s where the Martian Football Association (MFA) comes in. In March, a group of colonists from around the planet met online for the first session of the MFA, where they codified the rules of Martian soccer and established the first Martian soccer league.
The rules of Martian soccer are mostly the same as on Earth; score the ball into the goal, protect your goal, don’t go offsides, and so on. There were some rules that needed to be adapted, however, namely the goal and field size. Due to Mars’ lower gravity, people can jump and kick higher, but run slower. As such, the field was shrunk down to about two thirds of the size, and the goal was thinned to accommodate for this. The goal’s area is the same, though, as its height was increased so that higher kicks would still score. Finally, due to the difficulty of growing grass on Mars, Martian soccer is played on a dirt field.
With the rules set, the league could finally start. Eleven teams, each from a different Martian colony, were formed, along with each colony agreeing to build a soccer field to play on. From April until August, the teams will duke it out during the regular season, qualifying for the four team playoffs to win the first ever Martian Cup this October.
While the Martian population is quite small, the Martian Football Association has gained quite a large following, with over half of the Martian population tuning into games so far. It’s even gained attention on Earth, as the delayed game broadcasts are beamed down to be watched around the world. A spokesperson for the MFA told The Sol “we are proud to host the first ever Martian football league, and we wish all of our member teams good luck as they compete for the Mars Cup.”
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