Trivia Medium 30 questions · about 45 minutes · free PDF

Sports Trivia Questions and Answers

Thirty questions across a dozen sports, from the number of players on a soccer pitch to the trophies, venues and records every fan should know.

Three rounds run from easy to expert, so a mixed room stays in the game: the warm-up gets everyone scoring, and the last six questions sort out who really follows sport. Every answer comes with a one-line fun fact to read out.

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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, 58 KB

Question sheet

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

PDF, 49 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, 26 KB

What This Quiz Covers

Rules and scoring across major sports
Famous trophies and venues
Olympic history
Legendary athletes and records
An expert round to settle ties

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 · Warm-Up (Easy)

1
How many players from each team are on the field at the kick-off of a soccer (association football) match?
- A10
- B11
- C12
- D9
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B — 11
A team fields ten outfield players plus a goalkeeper, and a match must be abandoned if a side drops below seven players.
2
In soccer, which card does a referee show to send a player off the field?
- ARed card
- BYellow card
- CBlack card
- DBlue card
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A — Red card
Red means dismissal and the team must play on short-handed; the colour-card system was introduced at the 1970 World Cup after referee Ken Aston was inspired by traffic lights.
3
In American football, how many points is a touchdown worth before any conversion attempt?
- A8
- B3
- C7
- D6
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D — 6
A touchdown is six points, and the extra point or two-point conversion that follows is scored separately.
4
In the NBA, how many points is a field goal scored from behind the three-point arc?
- A4
- B2
- C3
- D5
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C — 3
It is worth three points; the NBA only adopted the three-point line for the 1979–80 season, long after the rest of the scoring system was settled.
5
In baseball, how many strikes does it take to strike out a batter?
- ATwo
- BThree
- CFive
- DFour
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B — Three
Three strikes retire the batter, while four balls earn a walk to first base.
6
In tennis, what word is used for a score of zero?
- ANil
- BBlank
- CLove
- DDuck
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C — Love
"Love" is widely believed to come from the French l'œuf (the egg), because a zero looks like an egg.
7
In golf, what is the term for completing a hole in one stroke under par?
- AAlbatross
- BEagle
- CBogey
- DBirdie
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D — Birdie
One under is a birdie, two under is an eagle and three under is an albatross — the bird names get bigger as the score gets better.
8
How many interlocking rings appear on the Olympic flag?
- AFive
- BSix
- CSeven
- DFour
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A — Five
The five rings, designed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1913, represent the five inhabited continents united by Olympism.
9
In Formula 1, which flag is waved to signal the end of a race?
- ARed flag
- BYellow flag
- CBlue flag
- DChequered flag
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D — Chequered flag
The black-and-white chequered flag marks the finish, while red stops a session and yellow warns of danger on track.
10
In boxing, how high does the referee count before declaring a knockout?
- ATo 10
- BTo 8
- CTo 15
- DTo 12
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A — To 10
If a fighter cannot continue by the count of ten, the bout ends in a knockout (KO); a fighter who beats the count can carry on.
11
In ice hockey, what does a player achieve with a "hat trick"?
- AThree penalties in one period
- BThree goals in one game
- CThree assists in one game
- DThree shutouts in a row
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B — Three goals in one game
Three goals by one player is a hat trick, and fans traditionally throw their hats onto the ice to celebrate it.
12
How many players are there in a cricket team on the field?
- A13
- B9
- C11
- D10
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C — 11
Cricket is played eleven-a-side, which is why a batting innings normally ends when the tenth wicket falls and no partner is left.

Round 2 · Getting Serious (Medium)

13
Which country hosted and won the FIFA World Cup in 1966?
- AWest Germany
- BBrazil
- CEngland
- DItaly
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C — England
England beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time at Wembley; Geoff Hurst's hat-trick was the first in a World Cup final, matched only by Kylian Mbappé in 2022.
14
Which team won the first Super Bowl, played in January 1967?
- AGreen Bay Packers
- BBaltimore Colts
- CKansas City Chiefs
- DNew York Jets
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A — Green Bay Packers
Vince Lombardi's Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35–10 in a game then officially called the AFL–NFL World Championship Game.
15
What is the name of the trophy presented to the winners of the Super Bowl?
- AThe Halas Trophy
- BThe Commissioner's Cup
- CThe Rozelle Trophy
- DThe Vince Lombardi Trophy
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D — The Vince Lombardi Trophy
It was renamed in 1970 in memory of Green Bay coach Vince Lombardi, and the sterling-silver trophy is made by Tiffany & Co.
16
Which player scored 100 points in a single NBA game in 1962?
- AOscar Robertson
- BWilt Chamberlain
- CElgin Baylor
- DBill Russell
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B — Wilt Chamberlain
Chamberlain did it for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania — a game that was never televised.
17
Which baseball stadium was nicknamed "The House That Ruth Built"?
- AEbbets Field
- BYankee Stadium
- CWrigley Field
- DFenway Park
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B — Yankee Stadium
The nickname honours Babe Ruth, whose drawing power funded the original Yankee Stadium that opened in 1923.
18
Which tennis Grand Slam tournament is played on clay courts?
- AWimbledon
- BThe Australian Open
- CThe US Open
- DThe French Open (Roland-Garros)
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D — The French Open (Roland-Garros)
Roland-Garros is the only Grand Slam on crushed-brick clay, a slow surface that rewards heavy topspin and long rallies.
19
Which golf major championship is played at the same course every year, Augusta National?
- AThe Masters
- BThe Open Championship
- CThe PGA Championship
- DThe US Open
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A — The Masters
The Masters has been staged at Augusta National in Georgia since 1934, and its winner receives the famous green jacket.
20
In which city were the first modern Olympic Games held in 1896?
- ARome
- BParis
- CAthens
- DLondon
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C — Athens
Athens was chosen to honour the ancient Games, and events were held in the marble Panathenaic Stadium.
21
Which Formula 1 Grand Prix is run on a street circuit through Monte Carlo?
- AThe Monaco Grand Prix
- BThe Belgian Grand Prix
- CThe Spanish Grand Prix
- DThe Italian Grand Prix
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A — The Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco's narrow streets, tunnel and harbour chicane have hosted racing since 1929, making overtaking famously difficult.
22
Which legendary boxer was born Cassius Clay and changed his name in 1964?
- ASugar Ray Leonard
- BMuhammad Ali
- CGeorge Foreman
- DJoe Frazier
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B — Muhammad Ali
He took the name Muhammad Ali shortly after beating Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title in February 1964.
23
Which trophy is awarded to the champion team of the NHL play-offs?
- AThe Art Ross Trophy
- BThe Presidents' Trophy
- CThe Hart Trophy
- DThe Stanley Cup
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D — The Stanley Cup
Donated by Lord Stanley of Preston in 1892, it is the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes in North America and is engraved with winners' names.
24
Who became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, in 1954?
- AHerb Elliott
- BEmil Zátopek
- CRoger Bannister
- DJohn Landy
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C — Roger Bannister
Bannister ran 3:59.4 at Iffley Road, Oxford, on 6 May 1954 — and his record lasted only 46 days before John Landy broke it.

Round 3 · For the Experts (Hard)

25
Which country won the very first FIFA World Cup in 1930?
- AArgentina
- BUruguay
- CBrazil
- DItaly
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B — Uruguay
Hosts Uruguay beat Argentina 4–2 in Montevideo, which is why their shirts carry four stars including two Olympic titles.
26
Which team won the first championship of the Basketball Association of America (the league that became the NBA) in 1947?
- ABoston Celtics
- BNew York Knicks
- CMinneapolis Lakers
- DPhiladelphia Warriors
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D — Philadelphia Warriors
The Philadelphia Warriors, led by scoring champion Joe Fulks, beat the Chicago Stags in the 1947 BAA Finals.
27
Who completed the "Golden Slam" in 1988 by winning all four tennis Grand Slams plus Olympic gold in the same calendar year?
- AChris Evert
- BMonica Seles
- CSteffi Graf
- DMartina Navratilova
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C — Steffi Graf
Graf swept the four majors and then won gold in Seoul, a feat no other singles player has achieved in one year.
28
According to cricket tradition, what are the "ashes" inside the tiny Ashes urn?
- AA burnt cricket bail
- BA burnt cricket ball
- CAsh from a burnt scorecard
- DAsh from a burnt pavilion flag
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A — A burnt cricket bail
The urn is said to hold the ashes of a burnt bail, presented to England captain Ivo Bligh in 1882–83 after a mock obituary for English cricket.
29
Who won the first Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship in 1950?
- AJuan Manuel Fangio
- BStirling Moss
- CAlberto Ascari
- DGiuseppe Farina
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D — Giuseppe Farina
Italy's Giuseppe "Nino" Farina took the inaugural title driving an Alfa Romeo, edging team-mate Fangio.
30
The Olympic motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius" translates from Latin as which of the following?
- AFaster, Higher, Stronger
- BSwifter, Bolder, Greater
- CStronger, Braver, Prouder
- DLonger, Harder, Better
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A — Faster, Higher, Stronger
Coined by Father Henri Didon and adopted by Coubertin, the motto gained a fourth word, "Communiter" (Together), in 2021.

Cletica

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