Trivia Medium 30 questions · about 45 minutes · free PDF

Soccer and World Cup Trivia Questions

Thirty questions on soccer and the FIFA World Cup: the laws of the game, tournament history since 1930, famous finals, legendary players and the biggest clubs and competitions.

Three rounds of ten mix questions any fan can answer with the ones that start arguments. Each answer comes with a short fun fact for the host to read out.

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The online version marks itself. The sheets are yours to print.

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Soccer and World Cup Trivia Challenge

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Print it

Three PDFs, A4, black and white on purpose — the right answer is marked with a filled box and bold text, not with colour, so it survives an office printer.

Host sheet

Every question with the answer under it, plus a line of context to say out loud once the answer is in. Keep it face down.

PDF, 57 KB

Question sheet

The same quiz without the key — for anyone who would rather read along than listen.

PDF, 48 KB

Team answer sheet

Numbered lines and a tick box. Print one per team, and one more for the swap at the end of each round.

PDF, 25 KB

What This Quiz Covers

The laws of the game
World Cup history and famous finals
Legendary players
Major clubs and leagues
Continental tournaments

All 30 questions and answers

Each answer is hidden until you open it, so you can read the questions out or test yourself first. The line under each answer is the fun fact to share once it is in.

Round 1

1
How many players from each team start a football match on the pitch?
- A11
- B10
- C12
- D9
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A — 11
Law 3 sets each team at eleven players, one of whom must be the goalkeeper, and a match cannot continue if a team drops below seven.
2
Which country hosted and won the very first FIFA World Cup in 1930?
- AArgentina
- BItaly
- CUruguay
- DBrazil
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C — Uruguay
Uruguay was chosen as host to mark its centenary of independence and beat Argentina 4–2 in the final in Montevideo.
3
What is the standard duration of a football match, excluding stoppage time?
- ATwo halves of 40 minutes
- BFour quarters of 20 minutes
- CThree periods of 30 minutes
- DTwo halves of 45 minutes
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D — Two halves of 45 minutes
Law 7 defines the match as two equal halves of 45 minutes, separated by a half-time interval that may not exceed 15 minutes.
4
Which nation won the World Cup final played at Wembley in 1966?
- AWest Germany
- BEngland
- CBrazil
- DPortugal
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B — England
England beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time at Wembley, with Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick in the final.
5
Against which team did Diego Maradona score the infamous 'Hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup?
- AWest Germany
- BUruguay
- CEngland
- DBelgium
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C — England
In the 1986 quarter-final against England, Maradona punched the ball past Peter Shilton and minutes later scored the famous solo 'Goal of the Century'.
6
Pelé, winner of three World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970, played for which national team?
- ASpain
- BBrazil
- CArgentina
- DPortugal
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B — Brazil
Pelé is Brazilian and remains the only player to have been part of three World Cup–winning squads.
7
Which club plays its home matches at Old Trafford?
- AArsenal
- BLiverpool
- CEverton
- DManchester United
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D — Manchester United
Manchester United has played at Old Trafford, nicknamed the 'Theatre of Dreams', since 1910.
8
Which two clubs contest the match known as 'El Clásico'?
- AReal Madrid and Barcelona
- BMilan and Inter
- CCeltic and Rangers
- DBoca Juniors and River Plate
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A — Real Madrid and Barcelona
El Clásico is the Spanish fixture between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona; the Milan derby is called the Derby della Madonnina and the Buenos Aires clash is the Superclásico.
9
The Bundesliga is the top professional football league of which country?
- AGermany
- BSwitzerland
- CAustria
- DNetherlands
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A — Germany
The German Bundesliga was founded in 1963 and is famous for having the highest average attendances in European club football.
10
Which country won the 1998 World Cup on home soil?
- ACroatia
- BBrazil
- CItaly
- DFrance
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D — France
France beat Brazil 3–0 in the Stade de France, with Zinédine Zidane scoring twice with his head.

Round 2

11
The 2026 World Cup is hosted by the United States, Canada and which third country?
- ACosta Rica
- BMexico
- CPanama
- DJamaica
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B — Mexico
Mexico completes the North American trio, making it the first country to host or co-host the men's World Cup three times (1970, 1986, 2026).
12
At the World Cup, which award is given to the tournament's leading goalscorer?
- AThe Silver Shoe
- BThe Golden Ball
- CThe Golden Boot
- DThe Golden Glove
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C — The Golden Boot
The Golden Boot goes to the top scorer, while the Golden Ball honours the best player and the Golden Glove the best goalkeeper.
13
From which of these restarts can a player NOT be penalised for offside?
- AA pass from a teammate inside the opponents' half
- BA throw-in
- CA goalkeeper's throw to a teammate
- DA free kick
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B — A throw-in
Law 11 lists three exceptions where no offside offence can occur: a throw-in, a goal kick and a corner kick.
14
How far is the penalty mark from the goal line?
- A9 metres (10 yards)
- B14 metres (15 yards)
- C16.5 metres (18 yards)
- D11 metres (12 yards)
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D — 11 metres (12 yards)
The penalty spot sits 11 metres (12 yards) from the goal line, while 16.5 metres (18 yards) is the depth of the penalty area itself.
15
What are the official dimensions of a full-size goal, measured between the inside of the posts and to the underside of the crossbar?
- A7.32 m wide by 2.44 m high
- B8.00 m wide by 2.50 m high
- C9.15 m wide by 3.00 m high
- D6.40 m wide by 2.00 m high
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A — 7.32 m wide by 2.44 m high
The goal is 8 yards wide and 8 feet high, which converts to 7.32 m by 2.44 m; 9.15 m is the famous 10-yard distance opponents must keep at a free kick.
16
How many Laws of the Game govern association football?
- A21
- B15
- C17
- D12
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C — 17
There are 17 Laws, running from Law 1 (The Field of Play) to Law 17 (The Corner Kick).
17
At which World Cup was the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system used for the first time?
- A2014 in Brazil
- B2018 in Russia
- C2010 in South Africa
- D2022 in Qatar
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B — 2018 in Russia
VAR debuted at the 2018 tournament in Russia, four years after goal-line technology had made its World Cup debut in Brazil.
18
How many national teams take part in the expanded 2026 World Cup finals?
- A64
- B40
- C32
- D48
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D — 48
FIFA expanded the finals from 32 to 48 teams for 2026, increasing the tournament to 104 matches.
19
Which country won back-to-back World Cups in 1934 and 1938?
- AItaly
- BAustria
- CHungary
- DUruguay
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A — Italy
Italy, coached by Vittorio Pozzo, won at home in 1934 and again in France in 1938, making Pozzo the only coach with two World Cup titles.
20
The 2002 World Cup was the first held in Asia and the first with two host nations. Which countries co-hosted it?
- AChina and Japan
- BJapan and Thailand
- CSouth Korea and Japan
- DSouth Korea and China
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C — South Korea and Japan
South Korea and Japan shared the 2002 tournament, where South Korea became the first Asian team to reach a World Cup semi-final.

Round 3

21
Which German lifted the World Cup as captain in 1974 and then won it again as his country's coach in 1990?
- AFranz Beckenbauer
- BHelmut Schön
- CGerd Müller
- DLothar Matthäus
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A — Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer, 'Der Kaiser', captained West Germany to victory in 1974 and managed the team to the title in 1990.
22
The 1994 final was the first World Cup final decided by a penalty shootout. Who won it?
- AGermany
- BBrazil
- CItaly
- DSweden
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B — Brazil
Brazil beat Italy 3–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw at the Rose Bowl, with Roberto Baggio skying the decisive kick.
23
Which team won the original Jules Rimet Trophy outright in 1970 by claiming a third world title?
- AWest Germany
- BUruguay
- CBrazil
- DItaly
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C — Brazil
Brazil's third triumph in 1970 let it keep the Jules Rimet Trophy permanently, so a new FIFA World Cup Trophy was introduced for 1974.
24
Who scored a hat-trick for England in the 1966 World Cup final?
- ABobby Charlton
- BMartin Peters
- CJimmy Greaves
- DGeoff Hurst
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D — Geoff Hurst
Geoff Hurst scored three of England's four goals against West Germany, including the still-debated shot that bounced down off the crossbar; the only other hat-trick in a men's final came from Kylian Mbappé in 2022.
25
Which stadium became the first to host two men's World Cup finals?
- AWembley Stadium, London
- BStadio Olimpico, Rome
- CMaracanã, Rio de Janeiro
- DEstadio Azteca, Mexico City
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D — Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
The Estadio Azteca staged the finals of both 1970 and 1986, and in 2026 it hosted World Cup matches for a third tournament.
26
In the 1950 'Maracanazo', which team shocked Brazil in front of a huge Rio crowd to take the title?
- AUruguay
- BSweden
- CArgentina
- DSpain
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A — Uruguay
Uruguay won the decisive final-round match 2–1 at the Maracanã, where Brazil only needed a draw to be crowned champions.
27
Who won the first UEFA European Championship, held in 1960?
- AItaly
- BThe Soviet Union
- CSpain
- DYugoslavia
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B — The Soviet Union
The Soviet Union, with legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin, beat Yugoslavia 2–1 after extra time in the 1960 final in Paris.
28
Which was the first African nation to reach a World Cup quarter-final, doing so in 1990?
- ASenegal
- BNigeria
- CCameroon
- DMorocco
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C — Cameroon
Cameroon, inspired by veteran striker Roger Milla, beat holders Argentina in the opening match and lost to England in the quarter-finals.
29
Which body is responsible for writing and amending the Laws of the Game?
- AThe Court of Arbitration for Sport
- BThe International Football Association Board (IFAB)
- CFIFA's Executive Committee
- DUEFA
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B — The International Football Association Board (IFAB)
IFAB, founded in 1886, consists of the four British associations plus FIFA, and any law change needs a three-quarters majority of its votes.
30
According to Law 2, what circumference must a size 5 match ball have?
- ABetween 58 cm and 60 cm
- BBetween 63 cm and 65 cm
- CBetween 73 cm and 75 cm
- DBetween 68 cm and 70 cm
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D — Between 68 cm and 70 cm
A size 5 ball must measure 68–70 cm around and weigh 410–450 grams at the start of the match.

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