Cuju, also known as "kickball", is an ancient Chinese sport that dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). It is considered to be the earliest form of football and is the earliest known competitive sport involving a ball. The game was played on a rectangular field
From Wikipedia
Cuju or ts'u-chü is an ancient Chinese football game that resembles a mix of basketball, football, and volleyball. FIFA cites cuju as the earliest form of a kicking game for which there is documentary evidence, drawing references from a military manual from the Han dynasty.