<P> The earliest form of football can be traced back to China ( Han dynasty ) , originating from cuju , an ancient Chinese football game , as recognized by FIFA . Contemporary codes of football can be traced back to the codification of these games at English public schools during the nineteenth century . The expansion of the British Empire allowed these rules of football to spread to areas of British influence outside the directly controlled Empire . By the end of the nineteenth century , distinct regional codes were already developing : Gaelic football , for example , deliberately incorporated the rules of local traditional football games in order to maintain their heritage . In 1888 , The Football League was founded in England , becoming the first of many professional football competitions . During the twentieth century , several of the various kinds of football grew to become some of the most popular team sports in the world . </P>
<P> The earliest form of football can be traced back to China ( Han dynasty ) , originating from cuju , an ancient Chinese football game , as recognized by FIFA . Contemporary codes of football can be traced back to the codification of these games at English public schools during the nineteenth century . The expansion of the British Empire allowed these rules of football to spread to areas of British influence outside the directly controlled Empire . By the end of the nineteenth century , distinct regional codes were already developing : Gaelic football , for example , deliberately incorporated the rules of local traditional football games in order to maintain their heritage . In 1888 , The Football League was founded in England , becoming the first of many professional football competitions . During the twentieth century , several of the various kinds of football grew to become some of the most popular team sports in the world . </P>
where was football first played in the world
where was football first played in the world
China
China