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where was football invented

Football doesn’t have a single birthplace, but there are two main answers people usually mean when they ask “where was football invented?”

Short answer

  • Ancient ball-kicking games similar to football were played in China (cuju) over 2,000 years ago.
  • The rules of modern association football (soccer) were first formally written and standardized in England , in London, in 1863, when The Football Association (FA) was founded.

Ancient origins: early “football‑like” games

If you zoom way back in time, versions of football show up in several ancient cultures.

  • China (cuju) :
    • Played during the Han dynasty, roughly 3rd–2nd century BC.
    • Involved kicking a ball into a net without using hands, which feels very close to modern football’s basic idea.
  • Japan (kemari) :
    • A ceremonial kicking game, derived from cuju, focused more on keeping the ball in the air cooperatively than on scoring goals.
  • Ancient Greece and Rome (episkyros, harpastum) :
    • Team ball games that sometimes allowed handling the ball and could be quite rough.
* They are seen as distant cousins rather than direct ancestors of today’s football.
  • Medieval Europe (mob football) :
    • In England and other parts of Europe, huge, chaotic village games involved kicking, carrying, and scrapping over a ball across fields or streets.
* These games were so violent and disruptive that authorities sometimes tried to ban them.

So if the question is “where did humans first play something like football?”, China (cuju) usually gets top billing in official histories, with supporting roles for Greece, Rome, Japan, and medieval Europe.

Birth of modern association football (soccer)

When most people say “football” worldwide, they mean association football — the 11‑a‑side game with a round ball, offside rule, and goals with nets.

That recognizable modern version took shape in 19th‑century England :

  • Throughout the 1800s, English schools and clubs all played their own versions of “football,” some closer to rugby, some closer to kicking games.
  • To stop constant rule arguments, representatives of several clubs met in London in 1863 and created The Football Association (FA).
  • At that meeting, they agreed on a single set of written rules that banned most handling of the ball and made kicking the core of the game.

Because of that:

  • Modern association football is said to have been “invented” (codified) in England, in London, in 1863.
  • The global spread of the sport followed as British influence and clubs carried the game to Europe, South America, and beyond.

What about American football or rugby?

The word “football” can mean different sports depending on where you are.

  • Rugby football :
    • Developed out of English school football traditions where carrying the ball was allowed (famously associated with Rugby School in England).
* Still very tied to British origins.
  • American football :
    • Grew in the late 19th century in the United States from a mix of rugby and association football.
* Key rule changes came from figures like Walter Camp, often called the “Father of American Football.”

So if someone in the USA asks, “Where was football invented?” they might mean American football , which evolved in the United States , but even that traces back to English football codes.

Multi-view: which “where” is correct?

Here’s a quick way to see the different perspectives:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>What you mean by “football”</th>
      <th>Core answer to “where was it invented?”</th>
      <th>Notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Earliest football-like kicking game</td>
      <td>Ancient China (cuju)</td>
      <td>Han dynasty game with kicking a ball into a net, no hands.[web:1][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Modern association football (soccer)</td>
      <td>England (London)</td>
      <td>Rules standardized by The Football Association in 1863.[web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Rugby football</td>
      <td>England (Rugby School and other public schools)</td>
      <td>Carrying the ball remained legal; diverged from association football.[web:5][web:6]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>American football</td>
      <td>United States</td>
      <td>Evolved from rugby-style play in late 1800s; shaped by Walter Camp.[web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Forum‑style takeaway and “latest talk”

If this were a forum thread titled “where was football invented” , you’d likely see answers split roughly like this:

“China — FIFA says cuju is the oldest form of football, so that’s the real origin.”

“Nah, proper football as we know it today was invented in England when the FA wrote the rules in 1863.”

“In the US, when we say ‘football,’ we mean the NFL version, which came out of American colleges in the late 1800s.”

In current discussions, historians and fans mostly agree on a two-part answer:

  • Deep roots : ancient games like cuju in China and similar ball games elsewhere.
  • Modern game : association football standardized in England (London) in 1863 , which is why England is often called the “home of modern football.”

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.