History of the Game Soccer is indisputably the most popular sport in the entire world. Unfortunately, it is not as popular in the United States, but it is growing rapidly in popularity. Ancient History of Soccer One of the first documented times that we have of people playing "soccer" is in China during the second and third century BC. During the Han Dynasty, it is documented that people would dribble a leather ball and kick it into a small net. Although, it wasn't until later that the sport became popular in Europe, especially in England. source: http://365funfacts.wordpress.com/ Modern History of Soccer "In 1815, a major development took place that made soccer popular in Universities, Colleges and Schools. The popular English School and Eton College came forth with a set of rules, known as the Cambridge Rules. Football was segregated into two groups; some colleges and schools opted for Rugby rules that allowed tripping, shin kicking and also carrying the ball. These rules were exclusively prohibited as per the Cambridge rules. The history of modern-day soccer was established in 1863. In October 1863, eleven representatives from London clubs and schools met at the Freemason's Tavern to set up common fundamental rules to control the matches amongst themselves. The outcome of this meeting was the formation of the Football Association. In December 1863, the Rugby Football and Association football finally split as the supporters of the Rugby School rules walked out. Firmly establishing the foundation of soccer in 1869, the Football Association strictly banned any kind of handling of the ball. Soccer's popularity spread rapidly during the 1800s as British sailors, traders and soldiers introduced the sport to different parts of the globe. Italians, Austrians, and Germans drew to Europe, while Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil adopted the sport in South America. FIFA was established in the year 1904 and by early 1930s, different leagues were operating from various countries. FIFA is credited with organizing the first world cup in Uruguay." From History of Soccer World Cup Arguably the largest sporting event in the entire world consists of countries all around the world competing against one another in soccer. This is called the World Cup. As stated earlier, the first World Cup was played in Uruguay and won by the Uruguayan national team in 1930, while the latest world cup was held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in the summer of 2014 and won by the German national team.