History
The official rules used in modern-day soccer were written up in England in 1863 by the Football Association, but playing soccer in England dates back to at least the Middle Ages. The Football Association created these rules to unify the many different forms of soccer played at different English public schools. The first ever international soccer game was held several years later in 1872. The game was between Scotland and England and was played in Glasgow, and ended in a 0-0 draw.
First ever international game. England vs. Scotland ending in a 0-0 draw.
The governing body of international football, Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was later founded in May 1904 in Paris. There were 7 founder nations Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland, with Germany expressing their intent on joining FIFA that same day. FIFA continued to grow, having 21 members by 1912, 36 by 1925, 41 in 1930 (the year that the first World Cup was held), 51 in 1938, 73 in 1950, and today, FIFA has 204 members.
Although these "official rules" were drawn up in 1863, history shows similar games being played over 3000 years ago. Documents describing the Chinese military, during the Han Dynasty at around 2nd or 3rd century BC, playing a soccer-like game in which you kicked a ball into a small net. The ancient Greeks and Romans were also said to have played a similar game, but instead of today's 11 players, their game would sometimes have 27 players on each side, and were often very violent, as two thirds of players were hospitalized in a typical game. The medieval ages were also very violent versions of the sport that allowed kicking, punching, biting, and gouging. This led to King Edward III in England passing laws in 1331to abolish the game. Queen Elizabeth I also passed a law that would give a one week sentence to anyone caught playing soccer. These laws didn't slow the increasing popularity of the sport that is now considered "The World's Game" and attracts millions of spectators and billions of TV viewers around the world.
sources:
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Origin-of-Soccer&id=244527