Although modern football began in England in the nineteenth century, the English didn't invent football: they simply gave it rules. Human beings have always liked kicking round objects. Two and a half thousand years ago the Chinese played a game called Tsu-Chu, which means 'to kick a ball made of leather with the feet'.
A Roman stone carving from Yugoslavia, from about the year 200 AD, shows a man holding a type of football and the Greeks are known to have played a game called episkyros. Although the details are unknown, it is certain that these games were all played by two teams.
There are records of football being played in the twelfth century on the streets of London. King Edward II banned it in 1314, saying, «There is a great noise in the city caused by hustling over large balls». Later kings also banned the game without much success. By the sixteenth century it had become very rough (dangerous). Most games were played in villages with as many as 500 people in each team. They played from midday until sunset.
By the nineteenth century only rich private schools were playing football. Each had its own set of rules which made games between schools impossible. In 1862 a set of ten rules were written down – five of these are in use today. The first competition cup, the Football Association Cup, was started in 1872. League football began in 1888 and teams formed all over England, involving everyone, not just the rich. By 1900 English sailors had taken the game to other countries. In 1930 the first World Cup match was played: it was won by Uruguay. (England didn't enter until 1950). Now the World Cup is the focus of football. The final match is watched on TV by almost half of the world's population. Football is certainly the world's most popular sport.

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