Although many countries consider themselves as the birthplace of football, historians who study international football have conclusive evidence that football originated in China-ancient Cuju in China is the origin of football.

Football is a sport in which the feet are the mainstay, controlling and dominating the ball, and the two teams attack and defend on the same rectangular court according to certain rules. Football is called "the first sport in the world" because of its strong antagonism, changeable tactics and large number of participants.

The predecessor of modern football originated from the ball game "Cuju" in Linzi, Shandong Province (now Zibo City) in ancient China, and then spread to Europe by Arabs from China, and gradually evolved into modern football. Modern football originated in England. 1848, the first written rule in the history of football, Cambridge Rules, was born.

1863, 10 year1October 26th, England established the first football association in the world and unified the rules of football. 1872, the first official match between football associations was held between England and Scotland.

1900, the second summer Olympic Games, football was listed as an official event. Football is widely translated as "Football" in the world, only used in a few countries such as the United States, and "football" is abbreviated as "American football" in the United States and Canada.

The highest organization of football is the International Football Federation, founded in 1904 and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The highest organization in China is the Chinese Football Association, which was established in Beijing on10.3/955.

Cuju:

Cuju, also known as "kicking", "cuqiu", "kicking round", "catching the ball" and "kicking round". Kick means kick, kick, kick. Bow is a ball wrapped in skin and filled with rice bran. Therefore, "Cuju" refers to the activities that the ancients kicked, kicked and kicked with their feet, similar to today's football.

According to historical records, as early as the Warring States Period, the recreational cuju game was popular among the people in China, and it became a method of military training from the Han Dynasty. Cuju organizations and artists appeared in the Song Dynasty and became popular in the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, it can be said that Cuju is a wonderful flower with a long history and great influence in ancient China.

On May 20th, 2006, with the approval of the State Council, Cuju was listed as the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage.