The modern football comes from Britain, also in order to nowadays launch one of the widest, most influential sports items in the world, known as the first sport of the world. Even because its abundant intension and appeal are regarded as an art.

The modern football is recognized as in Britain that originated from the middle period of the 19th century. The earliest professional league is with beginning too. On October 26, 1863, the England football association which is the first formal football organizataion in the world was established in London. After this, the football spreads extensively in the whole world. And the match rule and regulation of modern football, all evolved on the basis of English football association's match rule and regulation at that time. It was regarded as the birth day of modern football too on of October 26, 1863.

At present, Europe and South America are recognized as in two highest continents of football level, the main football powerful countries all concentrate on these two continents , has formed two great footballs of schools each too. European football school technology is terse and practical, pays attention to cooperating, strength is strong , fast on personal quality, the style is hale and hearty, regard Germany , Italy , France , Holland , Portugal ,etc. as representatives. The football school in South America stresses the individual skill, pays attention to the short pass and cooperates and breaks through with individual, common people praise Israel's Brazil , Argentina ,etc. rather.

The football association calls ' Football League ' too, usually managing football sportsman's discipline; sportsman's change of club has the match to make arrangements for, organization organizing in league matches. Organization managing football of all parts of the world now is International Association Football Fe Deration (FIFA), the general headquarters locate Zurich of Switzerland. And hold a World Cup every four years, is one of the ball-playing world grand occasions of the world.
The international foot is always made up by six regional football associations; they administer the football affairs of six world continents respectively:

• Asia Asian Football Confederation ( AFC)
• Africa African football association ( CAF)

• South America Football association of South America ( CONMEBOL)
• CONCACAF Middle and North America and football association of Caribbean ( CONCACAF)
• Oceania Football association of Oceania ( OFC)
• Europe Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA)

In addition, there is oneself national football associations in most countries.

In various kinds of football matches, the most powerful one is World Cup, run one every four years, was begun to run the first by Uruguay in 1930, because World War II closes down two, disconnected to now since 1950. Most number of times that the achievement is the best to participate in the contest The national football team of Brazil of national team that (amount to 18 times) amounts to the champion five times, the national football team of Italy of the champion of World Cup in 2006, got the champion four times altogether, and German national football team (federal Germany) got the champion three times altogether, Argentina, Uruguay each got the champion two times, once respectively English, French. The Olympic Games football matches is one of the oldest projects of the qualification in the event of Olympic Games in other international games. The intercontinental match is the highest with the level of European football championship, the most influential.

現代足球運動源於英國，亦為當今世界上開展最廣、影響最大的體育項目之一，被稱為世界第一運動。甚至因其豐富的內涵和感染力被視作一門藝術。

現代足球運動公認為起源於19世紀中期的英國。最早的職業聯賽也在同地開始。1863年10月26日，世界上第一個正式的足球組織英格蘭足球協會在倫敦成立。此後，足球運動在全球廣泛傳播。而現代足球運動的比賽章則，皆基於當時的英格蘭足球協會比賽章則演化而成。1863年10月26日這一天也被作為現代足球運動的誕生日。

目前，歐洲與南美洲被公認為足球水平最高的兩大洲，主要的足球強國都集中在這兩個洲，也因此各自形成了兩大足球流派。歐洲足球流派技術簡練實用，注重配合，個人素質上力量強，速度快，作風硬朗，以德國、意大利、法國、荷蘭、葡萄牙等為代表。南美洲足球流派則講究個人技術，注重短傳配合和個人突破，以巴西、阿根廷等都頗為世人稱頌。

足球協會也稱「足球聯合會」，一般是管理足球球員紀律，球員轉會還有比賽籌辦，聯賽組織的機構。現時管理全球各地足球運動的組織是國際足球聯合會（FIFA），總部設於瑞士蘇黎世。並且每四年舉辦一屆世界盃足球賽，是世界球壇盛事之一。

國際足總由六個地區性足球協會組成，他們分別管轄世界六大洲的足球事務：

• 亞洲 — 亞洲足球聯合會（AFC）
• 非洲 — 非洲足球協會（CAF）
• 南美洲 — 南美洲足球協會（CONMEBOL）

• 中北美洲及加勒比海地區 — 中北美洲及加勒比海足球協會（CONCACAF）
• 大洋洲 — 大洋洲足球協會（OFC）
• 歐洲 — 歐洲足球協會（UEFA）

此外，大部分國家也有自己本國的足球協會。

各種足球比賽里，最有影響力的是世界盃足球賽，每四年舉辦一屆，1930年由烏拉圭開始舉辦第一屆，因為二戰停辦了兩屆，從1950年開始到現在一直沒有間斷過。成績最好的是參賽次數最多（共18次）的國家隊巴西國家足球隊共五次冠軍，2006年世界盃足球賽的冠軍意大利國家足球隊，共獲得四次冠軍，而德國國家足球隊（聯邦德國）共獲得三次冠軍，阿根廷、烏拉圭各獲得兩次冠軍，英格蘭、法國各一次。

其他的國際性賽事如奧運會足球比賽則是奧林匹克運動會的比賽項目中資格最老的項目之一。洲際的比賽則以歐洲足球錦標賽的水平最高，影響最大。

很多國家每年在本國內還有各種足球俱樂部之間的足球聯賽。其中意大利足球甲級聯賽由於開辦時間久，有上百年歷史，球隊引進外國球員沒有較多的限制，從而吸引了各國頂級球員加盟，有「小世界盃」之稱。俱樂部對陣最為精彩的要屬同城德比，在同一座城市下，有兩支不同球隊競爭，比賽的激烈程度非常高。著名的有米蘭德比，AC米蘭與國際米蘭。巴塞隆納與皇家馬德里的比賽也被稱為西班牙「國家德比」。

此外，各國俱樂部之間也有比賽，例如每年舉行一次的豐田杯足球賽，參加比賽的是當年度歐洲俱樂部冠軍和南美解放者杯冠軍，現時賽事己改為世界冠軍球會盃，並且邀請全球六大洲的冠軍球會參與，令賽事更具國際化。