Ancient China's Cuju is the earliest recorded codified game resembling modern football.

Dating back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), a game called 'Cuju' (literally 'kick ball') was played as a military fitness exercise and civilian sport. Unlike primitive kicking games, Cuju had formalized rules, a designated pitch, and a leather ball filled with feathers or hair. Players were required to kick the ball through a small opening in a net suspended between bamboo poles, notably without using their hands. This game was highly organized, featuring professional leagues, emperors who played, and written rulebooks that emphasized skill and sportsmanship over raw violence.