Football "match" or football "game"?

The words are synonymous. The Americans usually use 'game' (for American football), while the Brits usually use 'match' (for soccer), I believe.

Hello Mister Micawber, thanks for your swift reply. Does it sound strange when I sometimes use 'game' and sometimes use 'match' in the same paragraph? Should I stick to one variant?

Another thing I want to add: The reason why I am asking this question is that some years ago, when I made a presentation for my english class about football, my teacher (a native American English speaker) corrected me whenever I said 'match', and I was really confused about that. So the most probable explanation for that would be that 'match' sounded strange to him because he was a native AE spea

Yes, right - and I'd be consistent unless the word appeared very, very frequently in my text.

Thanks, I really appreciate your help. I have another question regarding this subject, I have read somewhere else that 'match' is used in a more official context, as in competitions and big sporting events, while in turn you wouldn't call it a 'match' if you play soccer in the park with your friends for fun, that would be more of a 'game'. Is that correct?

I would think rather that it would depend on which English is the language there. I can't imagine a baseball or soccer game ever being called other than that in the US, where I come from, whatever the context. A Brit may have a different opinion on their use of 'match'.

Okay, thanks for clearing up. So I will simply prefer 'game' from now on, just to be on the safe side.