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According to  FIFA , the Chinese competitive game  cuju  (蹴鞠, literally "kick ball") is the earliest form of football for which there is evidence. [13] Cuju  players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to modern football, though similarities to  rugby  occurred. [14] [15]  During the  Han Dynasty  (206 BC – 220 AD),  cuju  games were standardised and rules were established. [14] Phaininda  and  episkyros  were Greek ball games. [16] [17]  An image of an  episkyros  player depicted in low relief on a vase at the  National Archaeological Museum of Athens [12]  appears on the  UEFA European Championship  Cup. [18]   Athenaeus , writing in 228 AD, referenced the  Roman  ball game  harpastum .  Phaininda ,  episkyros  and  harpastum  were played involving hands and violence. They all appear to have resembled  rugby football ,  wrestling  and  volleyball  more than what is reco
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Association football , more commonly known as  football  or  soccer , is a  team sport  played between two teams of eleven  players  with a spherical  ball . It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world's most popular sport. [3] [4] [5] [6]  The game is played on a rectangular  field  with a  goal  at each end. The object of the game is to  score by getting the ball into the opposing goal. Players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are  goalkeepers  (and then only when within their  penalty area ). Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, but may also use their head or torso. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, either a  draw  is declared or the game goes into  extra time  or a  penalty shootout  depending on the format of the competition. The  Laws of the Game  were original