# Earliest football match between China and Japan recorded in 50 BC 2026-08-16T11:24:09+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Frontline reports that an ancient Chinese text by poet Li Ju, written around 50 BC, contains the earliest known reference to an international football match between China and Japan. The article draws on Phil Soar and Martin Tyler's book to highlight this finding. The origin of football remains debated, with both China and Japan claiming ancient versions: China's Tsu Chu (kicking a stuffed ball through a silk net) and Japan's elegant Kemari, both played over 2,500 years ago. Evidence also points to a similar Greek game called Episkyros and a Roman variant, Harpastum, which Romans introduced to Britain. In medieval England, the game was violent and often banned by monarchs from Edward II (1314) to Elizabeth I. The sport's fortunes reversed under Queen Victoria. Modern rules were first set down by schoolmaster John Charles Thring in 1862, transforming football from a riotous romp into an orderly game. ## Coverage - frontline.thehindu.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: China, England, Greece, Japan, Queen Victoria, Rome Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/earliest-football-match-between-china-and-japan-recorded-in-50-bc/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/earliest-football-match-between-china-and-japan-recorded-in-50-bc/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/