An exhibition game is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or the team's rankings is either zero or otherwise greatly reduced. Exhibition games often serve as "warm-up matches", particularly in many team sports where these games help coaches and managers select and condition players, before the competitive matches of a league season or tournament. If the players usually play in different teams in other leagues, exhibition games offer an opportunity for the players to learn to work with each other. The games can be held between separate teams or between parts of the same team.
Sydney FC playing a friendly match against the Los Angeles Galaxy at ANZ Stadium in November 2007
A friendly match in Vietnam
Exhibition game of veterans of FC Spartak Moscow against Team of Severodvinsk in Russia
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi taking part in ceremonies before a Portugal–Argentina friendly in Switzerland, 2011
An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, but sometimes dividing the players by an attribute such as nationality. Selection of the players may be done by a vote of the coaches and/or news media; in professional leagues, fans may vote on some or all of the roster. An all-star game usually occurs at the midpoint of the regular season. An exception is American football's NFL Pro Bowl, which occurs at the end of the season.
Action during the 2007 Pro Bowl, the all-star game of the National Football League. Note different team insignias on helmets.