A love affair with soccer, in pictures

Whether you call it soccer or football, this game is beloved around the world. In the Dominican Republic, Misael Rincon's kids and their cousin "have World Cup fever!" Here, they race for the ball outside Rincon's Santo Domingo home. "My kids love the baseball but for a few days here [they] have replaced the bat and glove for a football," he said. Click through the gallery to see more joyful photos that illustrate the world's love affair with soccer.

Score! Cristian Catanescu's 9-year-old son celebrates after getting a goal on his family's terrace in Singapore. "Football brings joy to this boy! He changed places and continents several times and his best way to connect to local people is through football," said Catanescu.

A group of Free Syrian Army fighters in Aleppo, Syria, takes a break for a quick game of pick-up soccer. Photographer Reynaldo Leal captured the game while documenting the conflict in Syria in 2013.

This match took place in the courtyard of an abandoned elementary school in Syria, said Leal. "Everything had been so serious on the front lines that day, so I was surprised to find the fighters playing a pick-up game of football," he said.

A ball flies into the net during a youth training session in Singapore. "Parents hide in the shade while kids run around for hours. Hard to understand how can they take so much sun. They must be crazy about football," said Catanescu.

You can see the intensity and determination on these girls' faces as they battle for the ball in a Westchester County, New York, soccer league.

Lauren Jockimo, 13, plays goalkeeper in the league. Here, she gives the ball a good punt after making a save.

These kids "have their game faces on" as they fight for the ball in Cebu, Philippines, says Clarson Fruelda. They're playing in an annual local soccer tournament with divisions for all ages.

William Hyndman flies through the air as he approaches the ball at a tournament in Phuket, Thailand. "William currently plays on a soccer team with teammates from Singapore, England, Japan, Australia, Romania, Canada and India," said his mom, Tracy. "Our mutual passion for soccer has brought this unlikely group together."

William digs in as he plays sweeper in the Phuket tournament.

Get 'em started early! Marie Sager's 4-year-old grandson, Mason Banks, practices his shot at a park in Studio City, California.

• View photos that illustrate the world's love affair with soccer


• Whether we call it soccer or football, the sport seems to bring cultures together


• Get tips for shooting your own soccer photos at Human to Hero


• And submit your best shot at CNN iReport

(CNN) -- The World Cup is the world's most widely viewed sporting event, according to FIFA. It seems the world (yes, even the U.S.) has a love affair with soccer that runs deep and transcends cultural differences.

Click through the photos above to see 11 moments of joy in soccer games and practices around the world. Smile, and then go down to the pub to take in a World Cup game or down to the park to kick the ball around.

And if you want to take spirited and jubilant soccer photos like the ones above, visit our main Human to Hero page for a masterclass in sports photography.