The beautiful game: soccer around the world
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As Russia puts the finishing touches to the carefully manicured fields that will host the World Cup from next week, people around the globe are playing soccer on a surprising variety of makeshift pitches.
Off the coast of an island in southern Thailand, they play on a floating platform; in the mountains of northern Italy, they kick about in the snow - images captured by Reuters photographers around the world.
Local residents play soccer on the top floor of a parking garage in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Shoes and a football belonging to local residents playing soccer on the top floor of a parking garage in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Children play soccer on an asphalt pitch in Payatas, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Shoes and a football belonging to children playing soccer on an asphalt pitch in Payatas, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Boys play soccer on a net-covered pitch, which protects the ball from going out of the ground, in Mumbai, India.
Shoes and a football belonging to boys playing soccer on a net-covered pitch in Mumbai, India.
Children play soccer on an irregular soccer pitch in Bangkok, Thailand.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to children playing soccer on an irregular soccer pitch in Bangkok, Thailand.
Children play soccer with a plastic ball on a brick court in front of a temple in Hoang Xa village, outside Hanoi, Vietnam.
Shoes and a football belonging to children playing soccer on a brick court in front of a temple in Hoang Xa village, outside Hanoi, Vietnam.
Children play soccer by Botataung Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to children play soccer by Botataung Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar.
Children play soccer at Koh Dach resort along the Mekong river banks on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to children playing soccer at Koh Dach resort along the Mekong river banks on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Students check soccer robots at the Robot Vision Laboratory of the Tokyo Polytechnic University in Atsugi, Japan.
A ball-handling device of a soccer robot and an official ball for the RoboCup soccer competition at the Robot Vision Laboratory of the Tokyo Polytechnic University in Atsugi, Japan.
Men play soccer on a roof stadium in Shanghai, China.
Shoes and a football belonging to men play soccer on a roof stadium in Shanghai, China.
Children play soccer in Bayanzurkh district of the capital Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to children playing soccer in Bayanzurkh district of the capital Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
A view of an open ground, where local kids and soccer players play, is pictured in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Shoes and a football belonging to local kids playing soccer in Kathmandu, Nepal.
People play soccer at a playground in Moscow, Russia.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to people playing soccer at a playground in Moscow, Russia.
Children play soccer in the village of Ptychie in Stavropol region, Russia.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to children playing soccer in the village of Ptychie in Stavropol region, Russia.
Men play soccer game in mud outside the village of Pogi in Leningrad region, Russia.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to men playing soccer game in mud outside the village of Pogi in Leningrad region, Russia.
Children play soccer in the village of Yelizarovo in Yaroslavl Region, Russia.
Shoes and a football belonging to children playing soccer in the village of Yelizarovo in Yaroslavl Region, Russia.
Children play soccer at an improvised pitch in the village of Gurgurnica, 35 km away from the nearest city of Tetovo, Macedonia.
Shoes and a football belonging to children playing soccer in the village of Gurgurnica, 35 km away from the nearest city of Tetovo, Macedonia.
Local boys play street football on Windmill Walk, Southwark, central London, Britain.
Shoes and a football belonging to boys playing street football on Windmill Walk, Southwark, central London, Britain.
Eriskay, wearing green and white, plays soccer against Barra on the Isle of Eriskay, Scotland.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football used by Eriskay and Barra on the Isle of Eriskay, Scotland.
Children play soccer on an astro-turf pitch in south-east London, Britain.
Shoes and a football belonging to children playing soccer on an astro-turf pitch in south-east London, Britain.
Children play soccer on an asphalt pitch in Alcorcon, near Madrid.
Shoes and a football belonging to children playing soccer on an asphalt pitch in Alcorcon, near Madrid.
Young men play soccer inside a soccer pitch in front of the Giant Ferris Wheel in Vienna, Austria.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to young men playing soccer inside a soccer pitch in front of the Giant Ferris Wheel in Vienna, Austria.
Brothers Moritz (in red) and Paul play soccer in their garden in Vienna, Austria.
Shoes and a football belonging to brothers Moritz and Paul playing soccer in their garden in Vienna, Austria.
Boys play soccer at a makeshift pitch in Soweto, South Africa.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to boys playing soccer at a makeshift pitch in Soweto, South Africa.
Children play soccer at the compound of the Dambai EP Primary School after school hours in the town of Dambai, Ghana.
Shoes and a football belonging to children playing soccer at the compound of the Dambai EP Primary School in the town of Dambai, Ghana.
Boys play soccer on a soaked pitch near Mathare valley slums of Nairobi, Kenya.
Shoes and a football belonging to boys playing soccer near Mathare valley slums of Nairobi, Kenya.
A neighbourhood team plays soccer in the ACI 2000 neighbourhood of Bamako, Mali.
Shoes and a football belonging to children playing soccer in the ACI 2000 neighbourhood of Bamako, Mali.
Boys play soccer in an open field along a road at Iyana-Oworo district in Lagos, Nigeria.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to boys playing soccer in an open field along a road at Iyana-Oworo district in Lagos, Nigeria.
Boys play soccer in the old city of Algiers Al Casbah, Algeria.
sandals and a football belonging to boys play soccer in the old city of Algiers Al Casbah, Algeria.
Construction workers play soccer during their lunch break, with their building under construction seen in the background, in Rio de Janeiro's financial district, Brazil.
Shoes and a football belonging to construction workers playing soccer in Rio de Janeiro's financial district, Brazil.
Children play soccer on a street in downtown Havana, Cuba.
Shoes and a football belonging to children playing soccer on a street in downtown Havana, Cuba.
Men play soccer in Santiago, Chile.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to men playing soccer in Santiago, Chile.
Young men play soccer on a makeshift pitch in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Sandals and a football belonging to young men playing soccer in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Children play soccer prior to the inauguration of a new sports complex in La Campanera neighbourhood, a community marked by gang violence, in Soyapango, El Salvador.
A detail of the surface of the pitch and a football belonging to children play soccer in La Campanera neighbourhood in Soyapango, El Salvador.
Local children play soccer in the Royal Old Town Vranduk built in the 14th century in Vranduk, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Shoes and a football belonging to children playing soccer in the Royal Old Town Vranduk built in the 14th century in Vranduk, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
