The International Linear Collider

The worldwide particle physics community has agreed that the next large facility required to advance the field is a linear electron-positron collider, which should operate, in the first phase, at the centre-of-mass energy of 500 GeV. This facility would provide essential information to understand the way the symmetry between the electromagnetic and weak forces is broken and point to a more complete theory of particle physics. This talk will review the main physics goals, discuss some of the interesting technical challenges for the International Linear Collider and its detectors, and present the current status and outlook for the future.