Rugby vs. Soccer History Timeline
Key Historical Events in Rugby and Soccer
Rugby School Incident
William Webb Ellis (legendary 16-year-old student at Rugby School) allegedly picks up the ball and runs with it during a football match, initiating the sport of rugby.
Rugby Rules Codified
Formal rules for rugby are established at Rugby School, creating the foundation for the sport of rugby football.
First International Rugby Match
Scotland vs. England at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh (Scotland won 1-0). This was the first official international rugby match.
Football Association Founded
The Football Association (FA) is formed in England to create unified football rules, officially separating from rugby traditions.
First International Soccer Match
Scotland vs. England (0-0 draw) at Hampden Park. This was the first official international soccer match.
Why Rugby Is Older Than Soccer
Formal organization: Rugby had its first governing body (Rugby Football Union) established in 1871, 17 years before the FA had fully separated from rugby traditions.
International matches: The first international rugby match (1871) happened a year before the first international soccer match (1872).
Rule codification: Rugby's rules were formalized in the 1840s, while soccer's rules were established later in the 1860s.
Historical significance: Rugby's story began with the 1823 incident at Rugby School, which predates soccer's organized development by several decades.
When you think of football, you probably picture the global game played with a round ball, 11 players per side, and a referee blowing a whistle every few minutes. But long before modern soccer took over the world, another version of football was already being played on muddy fields in England - one where players could pick up the ball and run with it. That game was rugby. And yes, it’s older than the football most people know today.
The Real Birth of Rugby
The story starts in 1823 at Rugby School in Warwickshire, England. According to legend, a 16-year-old student named William Webb Ellis picked up the ball during a school football match and ran with it. Whether he actually did it or not doesn’t matter as much as what happened next: the school started allowing players to carry the ball, and by the 1840s, they had written down rules for this new style of play. These became the foundation of rugby football.
By 1871, the sport had grown enough to form the first official governing body: the Rugby Football Union. That’s 17 years before the Football Association (FA) in England officially split from rugby to create what we now call association football - or soccer. So if you’re measuring by formal organization, rugby had a head start.
What Was Football Before Soccer?
Before the 1860s, "football" wasn’t one game - it was dozens. Every town, school, and village had its own version. Some allowed handling the ball. Others banned it. Some let you kick opponents. Others didn’t. In Cambridge, they tried to standardize rules in 1848, but even then, there was no single set of rules across England.
What changed was the rise of industrialization. Cities grew. Schools needed consistent rules so teams from different places could play each other. In 1863, the Football Association was founded specifically to create one unified version of football - and they banned handling the ball entirely. That’s when the split happened: the handling version became rugby, the kicking version became soccer.
So while people played ball games for centuries - even in ancient Rome and China - the modern versions of both rugby and football trace back to the same English schoolyard roots. But rugby’s rules were codified first, and it was already a recognizable sport before soccer had its own identity.
The First Official Match
The first official rugby match under formal rules took place on January 29, 1871, between Scotland and England at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. Scotland won 1-0 (a try counted as a point back then). It was a landmark event - the first international rugby game ever played.
The first official soccer match under FA rules happened a year earlier, on December 19, 1863, between Barnes and Richmond. But that game wasn’t international. The first international soccer match didn’t happen until November 30, 1872, between Scotland and England - a 0-0 draw. So rugby beat soccer to the international stage by over a year.
Why Does This Matter Today?
People often assume soccer is the original football because it’s so much more popular now. But history doesn’t care about popularity. It cares about timelines. Rugby’s formal rules came first. Its first governing body was established before the FA had fully separated from rugby traditions. And the first international match in either sport was rugby.
Even the word "football" was used for both games until the 1880s. In Australia, "football" still means rugby league in some regions. In New Zealand, "footy" can mean rugby union. In the U.S., "football" is American football - which evolved from rugby in the 1870s and 1880s. So the term itself is tangled, but the origins aren’t.
Rugby’s Influence on Modern Football
Modern American football and Australian rules football both grew out of rugby. The forward pass? Borrowed from rugby’s later rule changes. The line of scrimmage? Inspired by rugby scrums. Even the shape of the ball - oval, not round - came from rugby’s early leather balls stitched by hand.
When Yale and Harvard started playing in the 1870s, they used rugby rules. Walter Camp, known as the "Father of American Football," began modifying those rules in the 1880s: introducing the line of scrimmage, downs, and the quarterback position. All of it was built on rugby’s foundation.
So if you watch an NFL game today, you’re seeing a direct descendant of rugby - not soccer.
What About the World Cup?
The first Rugby World Cup was held in 1987. The first FIFA World Cup was in 1930. So soccer’s global tournament came first. But that doesn’t make soccer older - it just means it had a bigger global push earlier. Rugby didn’t need a World Cup to be old. It just needed a schoolboy in 1823 to pick up the ball.
And while soccer now has over 4 billion fans, rugby still has a fiercely loyal following. Over 6 million people play rugby worldwide. The Six Nations and The Rugby Championship draw millions of viewers. And in countries like New Zealand, South Africa, and Fiji, rugby isn’t just a sport - it’s part of the national soul.
Myths That Still Get Spread
One common myth: "Soccer is the oldest football game." That’s false. Ancient ball games existed, but they weren’t organized sports. The first modern, codified football game - with written rules, teams, and referees - was rugby.
Another myth: "Rugby was just a rough version of soccer." No. They were siblings born from the same parent, but they chose different paths. One kept the ball in the air with kicks. The other embraced chaos, tackles, and carrying the ball forward.
And one more: "Rugby died out because it was too violent." Actually, rugby never died. It evolved. In 1895, a split in northern England led to rugby league - a faster, professional version. Today, both rugby union and rugby league thrive globally.
Final Answer: Yes, Rugby Is Older
By every meaningful measure - codified rules, governing body, international match - rugby predates modern football (soccer). The ball was picked up at Rugby School in 1823. The Football Association didn’t form until 1863. The first international rugby match was in 1871. The first international soccer match was in 1872.
So if you’re asking whether rugby is older than football, the answer isn’t close. It’s clear. Rugby came first. Football as we know it today - the game with the round ball and no hands - was created by separating from rugby, not the other way around.
Next time you watch a rugby match, remember: you’re not just watching a sport. You’re watching the original football.
Is rugby older than soccer?
Yes, rugby is older than soccer. The first written rules for rugby were established at Rugby School in the 1840s, and the Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871. Soccer’s governing body, the Football Association, wasn’t formed until 1863, and the first official international soccer match didn’t happen until 1872 - a year after rugby’s first international game.
Did football come from rugby?
Modern soccer (association football) came from the same roots as rugby, but it was created by splitting away from it. In 1863, the Football Association banned handling the ball and established rules for a kicking-only game. Rugby kept the ability to carry the ball. So soccer didn’t evolve from rugby - it was born when rugby was divided.
What was the first rugby match ever played?
The first official international rugby match was played on January 29, 1871, between Scotland and England at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. Scotland won 1-0. The first club match under formal rugby rules happened earlier, in the 1850s, but this was the first time two national teams competed under unified rules.
Is American football older than rugby?
No, American football is younger than rugby. American football evolved from rugby in the 1870s and 1880s, primarily at U.S. colleges like Yale and Harvard. Walter Camp, known as the "Father of American Football," started modifying rugby rules in 1880 - decades after rugby had already been codified.
Why do people think soccer is the original football?
Because soccer became the most popular version of football globally. With over 4 billion fans, it dominates media, culture, and advertising. People assume the most popular version must be the oldest. But history doesn’t follow popularity. Rugby had the first rules, the first governing body, and the first international match - even if it doesn’t have the biggest audience today.