Meaning & use
a soccer tournament
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable
A competition in which soccer teams play a series of games to decide an overall winner.
Grammar: Countable: a soccer tournament, several soccer tournaments.
Patterns
- a soccer tournament
- take part in a soccer tournament
- win a soccer tournament
Our school entered a soccer tournament last spring.
Thirty-two teams competed in the soccer tournament.
She scored the winning goal in the final of the soccer tournament.
phrasecountable
An organized event, often lasting days or weeks, where many soccer matches are played.
Grammar: Often used with words like international, youth, or charity before it.
Patterns
- an international soccer tournament
- host a soccer tournament
- a youth soccer tournament
The city will host an international soccer tournament in July.
A charity soccer tournament raised money for the hospital.
He coaches a youth soccer tournament every summer.
Word forms
| plural | soccer tournaments |
|---|
Common combinations
- host a soccer tournament
- Two cities will host a soccer tournament this year.
- an international soccer tournament
- An international soccer tournament brings teams from many countries.
- take part in a soccer tournament
- Over fifty clubs took part in the soccer tournament.
- a youth soccer tournament
- A youth soccer tournament was held at the local park.
- win a soccer tournament
- They hope to win a soccer tournament for the first time.
Synonyms and how they differ
- football tournament
- The same event in British English, where the sport is usually called football.
- soccer competition
- A broader term that can include leagues as well as knockout tournaments.
- cup
- A cup is a specific knockout tournament, often named after a trophy.
Word family
- tournament noun
- A competition with a series of games or matches.
- tournament player noun
- Someone who takes part in tournaments.
Commonly confused: a soccer tournament or soccer league? a soccer tournament or soccer match?
a soccer tournament vs soccer league
A league is a season of regular matches between the same teams; a tournament is usually a shorter series ending in a winner.
a soccer tournament vs soccer match
A match is a single game, while a tournament is a whole competition made of many matches.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'soccer tournament' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A tournament is a competition of many matches lasting days or weeks, so 'sixteen teams' and 'two weeks' fit. A single ninety-minute game is a match, not a tournament, and you cannot buy or eat one.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a soccer tournament”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.