Who invented soccer?
No single person invented soccer. Ball-kicking games were played in many ancient cultures, but the modern rules were set in England in 1863, when the Football Association was formed in London.
Ancient games involving kicking a ball include cuju in China, played more than 2,000 years ago, which FIFA recognizes as the earliest form of football for which there is evidence. Medieval Europe had chaotic mob football games between villages, with few rules and many injuries.
In the 1800s, English schools and clubs played football with different rules, some allowing handling the ball. On October 26, 1863, representatives of several clubs met at the Freemasons' Tavern in London to form the Football Association and agree on common rules, separating association football from rugby football.
Spreading worldwide
British sailors, workers and teachers spread the game around the world in the late 1800s. FIFA was founded in Paris in 1904, and the first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930. The word soccer comes from an abbreviation of association.
Did You Know?
Sheffield FC, founded in 1857 in England, is recognized as the world's oldest football club still in existence.