The earliest evidence of football can be found in ancient China, during the Han Dynasty, around 206 BC, to 220 AD. Back then, the game was called Tsu Chu, which means “kick the ball”, and it was a military training exercise that consisted of kicking a ball through an opening in a net. This ancient form of football was the precursor to modern football, which was invented in 19th century England and was mainly played by teams from private schools and soccer clubs. The game originated from a game from the medieval period of the 9th century called “popular football” that was played in England, in which teams of players competed to carry a pig's bladder from one point to another. This game evolved into modern football, which was officially invented in England in the mid-19th century and was called football.
Rugby separated from soccer at this time, and association football was referred to as soccer, which was further shortened to soccer. Despite the success of field soccer in the United States, soccer continued to grow in popularity around the world during the 20th century. In 1883, with the growing popularity of football, FIFA hosted the first international competition in the history of football. As in Scotland, the first football record in England was in a proclamation of the reigning monarch at the time. In 1848, teachers from different schools in the south of England met at Trinity College of the University of Cambridge with the intention of creating a common regulation for football. This meeting marked an important milestone for soccer as it established FIFA as the main governing body of football in 1904. With FIFA's help, soccer grew even more popular and clubs began charging for attendance to watch games in the 1870s. Today, soccer is one of the most popular sports around the world with an audience of 3.5 billion people according to FIFA.
It is played not only in England but also in other countries such as Vietnam, Korea and Japan. Cuju is also played in these countries and is considered to be the oldest known game that resembles modern football. So what are the origins of soccer? The earliest evidence dates back to ancient China during the Han Dynasty around 206 BC to 220 AD. The game has evolved over time and has become one of the most popular sports around the world with five billion followers according to FIFA.
