No single person “invented” soccer; the modern game grew out of many older ball games and was standardized in England in the 1800s.

Quick Scoop: Short Answer

If you’re looking for a name and place people usually point to:

  • Modern soccer (association football) was codified in England in the 19th century.
  • Ebenezer Cobb Morley is often called the “Father of Soccer” because he helped found England’s Football Association (FA) in 1863 and wrote its first 13 laws, but he did not “invent” the sport from scratch.

So, the fairest answer is:

Nobody single-handedly invented soccer, but the modern rules were created in England in 1863, with Ebenezer Cobb Morley as the key rule‑maker.

How soccer evolved over time

Soccer has very old roots, and many cultures played soccer‑like games centuries before today’s version existed.

  • Ancient China (cuju): During the Han dynasty (around 206 BCE–220 CE), people played a game called cuju (“kick ball”), where players kicked a ball toward a target; it’s often cited as one of the earliest clear ancestors of soccer.
  • Ancient Greece and Rome: Games like episkyros (Greek) and harpastum (Roman) involved kicking or carrying a ball across a marked area; they looked rougher, closer to rugby, but shared the basic idea of team play with a ball.
  • Medieval England: By the 12th–13th centuries, the English played chaotic “mob football ,” with huge groups from neighboring villages trying to move a ball to some agreed‑upon goal. These games were so rough they were sometimes banned for causing injuries and property damage.

Over time, these rough village games slowly became more organized and school‑based, especially in English public schools.

The moment it became “modern soccer”

The big turning point is when people agreed on shared rules rather than each town or school having its own version.

  • Cambridge rules (1848): At Cambridge University, students drew up some early common “football” rules to harmonize how different schools played.
  • Football Association founded (1863): In London, clubs formed the Football Association (FA) to standardize rules for “association football,” including banning carrying the ball by hand and defining the field and basic play.
  • Ebenezer Cobb Morley’s role: Morley was a key organizer of the FA and drafted the first 13 laws of the game in 1863, which is why he’s often given the title “Father of Soccer.”

From there, association football spread across Europe and the world, eventually leading to FIFA’s creation in 1904 and the global sport we recognize today.

Different viewpoints on “who invented soccer?”

Because the game evolved, people answer “who invented soccer?” in different ways.

  • England-centered view: Credits England for inventing modern soccer, since the FA laws in 1863 are the direct ancestor of today’s game.
  • Ancient-origins view: Emphasizes China’s cuju and games in Greece and Rome , arguing soccer is just the latest form of a long global tradition of kicking games.
  • No-one-invented-it view: Says soccer is a gradual evolution , not a single invention; the fairest thing is to talk about “where it was codified” instead of “who invented it.”

An easy way to remember it:

  • Ancient civilizations: invented early ball‑kicking games.
  • England in 1863: invented the official modern rules of association football.

TL;DR:
No lone inventor. Soccer grew from ancient ball games in China, Greece, Rome, and medieval Europe, but the modern sport was codified in England in 1863 , with Ebenezer Cobb Morley as the main rule‑writer rather than the literal inventor.

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