Football is the most popular sport in England.[2] England is home to the world's first football league, the oldest national governing body, and the oldest national knockout competition.[2] The first modern rules for the game were established in England in 1863. England is one of the oldest national football teams, having played in the first international match in 1872.[3] England won the FIFA World Cup in 1966, and has qualified for the World Cup 16 times.[4] England has more football clubs than any other country, including the world's first club, Sheffield F.C., and the world's oldest professional club, Notts County.[5] England's top domestic league, the Premier League, is one of the most popular and richest leagues in the world. The British Empire's cultural power spread the rules of football to areas of British influence. England the home of football, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association football clubs, England has more clubs involved in the code than any other country. England hosts the world's first club, Sheffield F.C.; the world's oldest professional association football club, Notts County; the oldest national governing body, the Football Association; the joint-oldest national team; the oldest national knockout competition, the FA Cup; and the oldest national league, the English Football League. It also has 31% of the population interested in Football.[6] Today England's top domestic league, the Premier League, is one of the most popular and richest sports leagues in the world, with five of the ten richest football clubs in the world as of 2022.[7]
The England national football team is one of only eight teams to win the FIFA World Cup, having done so once, in 1966. A total of six English club teams have won the UEFA Champions League, formerly known as the European Cup.
- ^ a b "Registering Club Players in Whole Game". The FA. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ a b "What is the most popular sport in England?". The Telegraph. 15 February 2017. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
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bbc4433098was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ TGM Research. "TGM Global Euro Survey 2024 | Insights in the UK". TGM Research. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ Dalleres, Frank (23 January 2019). "Real Madrid topple Man Utd in Deloitte Football Money League". cityam.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.