In part by chance, of course. For some reason other European countries took to soccer more than to cricket or rugby, for example, even though they are all British sports. So while rugby and cricket are popular in Commonwealth nations, soccer spread throughout Europe and then to present or former European colonies.

Perhaps it’s because all you really need to play soccer is a ball. Perhaps it’s because you can play soccer with relativity few people. Perhaps it’s because it was considered a working class sport. But for whatever reason, it was embraced both inside and outside the British Empire, giving soccer broader appeal than cricket or rugby.