The origin of soccer can be traced back thousands of years to games played in China, Japan, Greece, and other ancient cultures. However, the modern game began taking shape in 19th century England. In the US, soccer grew increasingly popular over the 20th century, with over 16 million players by 1994 and the establishment of professional men's and women's leagues. Today, soccer is the most popular sport worldwide with over 250 million players and a global TV audience of over 1.3 billion for the World Cup.