Football

Football was a popular sport played on Earth. The Eighth Doctor once got involved with a mystery at the stadium of Delchester United that involved star Roy Hobbs. (DWM: Doctor Who and the Nightmare Game) On another occasion, and much to Charley's disdain, the Eighth Doctor enthused over Italy's 3-1 World Cup victory over Germany, and briefly joined in the public celebrations in the Italian village of Ferrara. Unbeknownst to the revelers, however, Ferrara (and the world beyond) was being invaded by the Threllips. As part of the subterfuge to end the invasion, the Doctor convinced the Threllip that the jubilation in Ferrara was actually a sign of an illness called "World Cup Fever", to which the Threllips were also susceptible. (BFA: Living Legend) A "Blessing Star" buried by Susan at I.M. Foreman's junkyard in 1963 was partially responsible for England's 1966 World Cup victory. (ST: The Rag and Bone Man's Story) During World War I, the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler once participated in a German/English football match on the front lines at Christmas. (IDW: The Forgotten) Later, the Tenth Doctor lived with Mickey Smith for a short period of time, and played on Mickey's local team. (DWM: The Lodger) In a similar circumstance, the Eleventh Doctor played football with Craig Owens for his pub's team, the King's Arms. Oddly, this time the Doctor seemed unfamiliar with the game, asking Amy Pond if it was "the sport with the sticks". Despite this, he proved to be an excellent player, pretty much single-handedly winning the game for his team. (DW: The Lodger)

By the 347th century, football had been long forgotten. The rules were uncertain, with some scholars believing the players were killed. (NSA: The Slitheen Excursion)

Behind the scenes

 * The airing date of The Lodger, in which the Doctor plays football, was two days into the FIFA World Cup 2010. As the episode finished, the first England/USA match started on ITV.