Origins
Origins of football
Football's modern form was shaped in the middle of the nineteenth century, when a patchwork of local games began to be pulled together into shared written rules. This guide explains how that happened and why it mattered.
History
History of football
Football has a long and varied history, from early codified rules in nineteenth-century England to the modern global game. These pages cover the main eras, turning points, and ideas that shaped the sport as it is played under the modern Laws.
What you will find in this section
This section explains the main eras and milestones in football's history, from the rules and turning points that shaped the game to the teams, players and tactical ideas that defined each era.
The history of football covers the development of the modern game from informal kicking games to the codified, global sport played under the modern Laws. Depending on the era, that can include the formation of national associations, the spread of the game through trade and empire, the rise of international football, the professionalisation of the sport, and the major tactical and commercial changes of the modern era.
Start here
These are the main pages to read first if you want a solid foundation in football's history.
Detailed guides to football's history
A selection of key topics in the section, spanning football's origins, its international and tactical landmarks, and the people and moments that defined it. They are good places to go once the overviews above make sense.
The 1863 Laws of the Game
The first agreed written rules of association football, drawn up in London in 1863. They settled long-running arguments about how the game should be played and grew, over time, into the modern Laws.
Read about the 1863 LawsThe split between football and rugby
Association football and rugby grew from the same family of games before parting ways in 1863. This is the point at which the association game and the Rugby School-style game began to separate, and it still shapes how the word football is used around the world.
Read about the split with rugbyThe founding of FIFA
The creation in 1904 of the body that now runs the World Cup and oversees the international game. It was founded in Paris by a small group of European associations, long before the global tournament it is known for today.
Read about the founding of FIFAThe first World Cups
How football's biggest tournament took shape, across the first five editions from Uruguay in 1930 to Switzerland in 1954. These early tournaments set the format and the traditions the modern World Cup still rests on.
Read about the first World CupsTotal football
The Dutch system of the 1970s that became famous for extreme positional flexibility, with players constantly swapping positions. Its influence runs through much of how the best modern teams play.
Read about total footballCatenaccio
A distinctive defensive system of mid-twentieth-century football, built around a spare defender sweeping up behind the back line. It became shorthand for organised, counter-attacking defence and still colours how defensive football is described.
Read about catenaccioIconic players in football history
An introduction to a selection of players who have become reference points for the whole sport. These are the names that come up most often whenever football looks back at its own past.
Read about iconic playersIconic World Cup moments
The goals, incidents and images the World Cup has been remembered by, long after the matches they came from. A tour through the moments the tournament returns to again and again.
Read about iconic World Cup momentsThe Bosman ruling
The 1995 court case that changed European football for good. It let players move freely at the end of their contracts and swept away limits on foreign players within the EU, reshaping transfers and wages ever since.
Read about the Bosman rulingThe growth of the women's game
How women's football grew from a long period on the margins into one of the major growth areas in the modern game. The guide traces the tournaments and leagues that drove that growth.
Read about the growth of the women's gameWhere to go next
Once you understand the history, the next step is usually to explore specific tournaments or look up specific terms.