Discover 120 Soccer Trivia Questions Every Fan Should Know
Are you ready to test your knowledge of the beautiful game? Whether you’re watching the match from home, cheering in the stadium, or discussing with friends at a local café, soccer trivia questions can make any conversation more lively and fun.
This article is your chance to see how well you truly know your favorite sport. From World Cup wonders to legendary players, we’ve got a mix of challenges just waiting to kick off some friendly competition. So, lace up your boots and let’s dive into the world of soccer trivia!
World Cup Trivia
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1. Question: Which country won the first FIFA World Cup?
Answer: Uruguay in 1930.
2. Question: Which player has scored the most goals in FIFA World Cup history?
Answer: Miroslav Klose of Germany, with 16 goals.
3. Question: What year did the World Cup introduce the red card?
Answer: 1970.
4. Question: Which country has won the most FIFA World Cups?
Answer: Brazil, with five titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002).
5. Question: Who scored the “Hand of God” goal in a World Cup match?
Answer: Diego Maradona, in the 1986 quarter-final against England.
6. Question: What was the highest scoring game in World Cup history?
Answer: Austria defeated Switzerland 7-5 in the 1954 World Cup.
7. Question: Which country hosted the first ever FIFA World Cup?
Answer: Uruguay in 1930.
8. Question: Which player won the Golden Ball for the best player at the 2014 FIFA World Cup?
Answer: Lionel Messi of Argentina.
9. Question: What is the smallest country by population to qualify for a World Cup?
Answer: Iceland, which qualified for the 2018 World Cup with a population of about 330,000.
10. Question: Which two countries have reached the World Cup final but never won the tournament?
Answer: Netherlands and Hungary.
11. Question: Who was the youngest player to play in a World Cup?
Answer: Norman Whiteside of Northern Ireland, who played in the 1982 World Cup at 17 years old.
12. Question: Which team broke the curse of the defending champion by winning consecutive World Cups in 1938 and later in 1962?
Answer: Italy won in 1938 and Brazil in 1962.
13. Question: Which city has hosted the most World Cup final matches?
Answer: Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, which hosted the finals in 1970 and 1986.
14. Question: What year was the World Cup trophy stolen, and who was it named after at the time?
Answer: It was stolen in 1966 and was named the Jules Rimet Trophy after the FIFA president who started the World Cup.
15. Question: Which player scored five goals in a single World Cup match, setting a record?
Answer: Oleg Salenko of Russia, during the 1994 World Cup against Cameroon.
16. Question: Which country hosted the FIFA World Cup twice, the first being in 1978 and again in 2014?
Answer: Brazil.
17. Question: What infamous event occurred during the 2006 World Cup final?
Answer: Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi.
18. Question: Which country won its first World Cup by defeating Brazil in the 1958 final?
Answer: Sweden.
19. Question: Who is the only player to have won three FIFA World Cups?
Answer: Pelé of Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970).
20. Question: Which two teams played in the World Cup final that went to a penalty shootout for the first time in 1994?
Answer: Brazil and Italy.
21. Question: Who scored the fastest goal in World Cup history, and how quickly was it scored?
Answer: Hakan Şükür of Turkey, scoring 11 seconds into the match against South Korea in 2002.
22. Question: Which team lost the World Cup final on home soil in 1950, an event known as the “Maracanazo”?
Answer: Brazil, defeated by Uruguay.
23. Question: Which goalkeeper holds the record for the most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in World Cup matches?
Answer: Walter Zenga of Italy, who went 517 minutes without conceding in 1990.
24. Question: Which is the only team to have been eliminated in the first round of the World Cup as the defending champion without winning a single match?
Answer: Italy, in 1950.
25. Question: Which player scored in every single match of the World Cup, including the final, in 1970?
Answer: Jairzinho of Brazil.
26. Question: What unique achievement did Geoff Hurst accomplish in the 1966 World Cup final?
Answer: He scored a hat-trick, the only player ever to do so in a World Cup final.
27. Question: Which team won the World Cup for the first time ever in 2010?
Answer: Spain.
28. Question: Which Asian country reached the semi-finals in the 2002 World Cup, the best performance by an Asian team to date?
Answer: South Korea.
29. Question: Who is the only player to have received red cards in two different World Cups?
Answer: Rigobert Song of Cameroon.
30. Question: Which player scored a goal from the longest distance in World Cup history?
Answer: Hakan Şükür of Turkey, from 41 meters away in 2002.
Easy Soccer Trivia
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1. Question: What is the maximum number of players a soccer team can have on the field at any one time?
Answer: 11 players.
2. Question: Which country is known as the ‘home of football’?
Answer: England.
3. Question: What do you call it when a player kicks the ball into their own team’s goal by mistake?
Answer: An own goal.
4. Question: What color card does a referee show to a player to indicate they are expelled from the game?
Answer: A red card.
5. Question: How many halves are there in a standard soccer game, and how long is each half?
Answer: Two halves, each 45 minutes long.
6. Question: What is the name of the international tournament that happens every four years featuring national teams from around the world?
Answer: The FIFA World Cup.
7. Question: Which item of clothing must all soccer players wear?
Answer: Shin guards.
8. Question: What must a soccer ball do to count as a goal?
Answer: The entire ball must cross the goal line between the goalposts and under the crossbar.
9. Question: What is the area called where the goalkeeper can use their hands?
Answer: The penalty area or the 18-yard box.
10. Question: What event starts the game at the beginning and after each goal is scored?
Answer: A kickoff.
11. Question: Who is responsible for enforcing the rules during a soccer match?
Answer: The referee.
12. Question: What is used to determine the winner of a soccer match when it ends in a draw in a knockout tournament?
Answer: A penalty shootout.
13. Question: What is the term for when a player uses their head to hit the ball?
Answer: Heading the ball.
14. Question: Which term describes a pass sent to a teammate in an attempt to get them behind the opponent’s defensive line?
Answer: A through ball.
15. Question: What is the term used when a player kicks the ball to their goalkeeper?
Answer: A back pass.
16. Question: What type of kick is awarded to a team when an opponent commits a foul inside the penalty area?
Answer: A penalty kick.
17. Question: How many points does a team earn for a win in most soccer leagues?
Answer: Three points.
18. Question: What is the name of the award given to the top goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup?
Answer: The Golden Boot.
19. Question: What do you call the person who assists the referee in a soccer game by signaling with a flag from the sidelines?
Answer: An assistant referee or linesman.
20. Question: What happens if the game is tied after regular time in the knockout stages of the World Cup?
Answer: The game goes to extra time and possibly a penalty shootout.
21. Question: What is the term used when a player is in a position where there are fewer than two opponents between them and the opponent’s goal line at the moment the ball is played to them?
Answer: Offside.
22. Question: What is the circular spot called that is located in the center of the field?
Answer: The center spot.
23. Question: What is it called when a player resumes play from the sideline after the ball has gone out?
Answer: A throw-in.
24. Question: What is the term for a series of games where teams compete for a championship in a knockout format?
Answer: A tournament.
25. Question: What is the name of the protective gear goalkeepers wear on their hands?
Answer: Gloves.
26. Question: What must a player do if they receive a yellow card in a match?
Answer: They must be more cautious as another yellow card will result in a red card and ejection from the game.
27. Question: What is the term for the technique of stopping, controlling, and maneuvering the ball using feet, legs, chest, or head?
Answer: Dribbling.
28. Question: What is the large rectangular area at each end of the field, including the goal where the goalkeeper operates?
Answer: The goal area or the six-yard box.
29. Question: What term describes a defensive strategy where each defender is assigned a specific area of the field to cover?
Answer: Zonal marking.
30. Question: Which tool is used by referees to make temporary marks on the field, especially for free kicks?
Answer: Vanishing spray.
Hardest Soccer Trivia
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1. Question: Which player holds the record for the most appearances in international matches?
Answer: Soh Chin Ann of Malaysia, with 195 caps.
2. Question: Who was the youngest coach in World Cup history?
Answer: Juan José Tramutola of Argentina, who was just 27 years old during the 1930 World Cup.
3. Question: Which player scored the fastest red card in a FIFA World Cup match?
Answer: José Batista of Uruguay, sent off in the first minute against Scotland in 1986.
4. Question: What is the highest number of goals scored by one team in a single European Championship match?
Answer: France, who scored 7 goals against Yugoslavia in 1960.
5. Question: Which club has won the most consecutive UEFA Champions League titles?
Answer: Real Madrid, who won five consecutive titles from 1956 to 1960.
6. Question: Which country won the first ever UEFA European Championship in 1960?
Answer: The Soviet Union.
7. Question: Who is the only player to have scored in two separate UEFA Champions League finals but never on the winning team?
Answer: Velibor Vasović, for Partizan Belgrade and Ajax.
8. Question: Which English footballer missed a penalty in the shootout in the Euro 1996 semi-final against Germany?
Answer: Gareth Southgate.
9. Question: Which team set the record for the longest unbeaten run in top-flight football?
Answer: Steaua Bucharest of Romania, who went 104 games without a defeat from 1986 to 1989.
10. Question: What is the record for the most goals scored by a player in a single Premier League season?
Answer: Mohamed Salah, who scored 32 goals in the 2017-2018 season.
11. Question: Which player was the first to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award when it was introduced in 1991?
Answer: Lothar Matthäus of Germany.
12. Question: In what year did FIFA introduce the use of goal-line technology to help determine if the ball has crossed the goal line?
Answer: 2012.
13. Question: What unique record does Canadian internationalist Stephanie Labbé hold in professional soccer?
Answer: She played as a goalkeeper in a men’s professional match for Calgary Foothills FC in 2018.
14. Question: Which national team won the Copa América with only two goals scored throughout the whole tournament?
Answer: Paraguay, in 1979.
15. Question: What is the largest margin of victory in an international soccer match?
Answer: Australia defeated American Samoa 31-0 in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification match.
16. Question: Which club won the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup in 2000?
Answer: Corinthians.
17. Question: Which player has won the most European Golden Shoes for being the top scorer across all European leagues?
Answer: Lionel Messi.
18. Question: What unique distinction does the 1954 World Cup final hold in terms of goals scored?
Answer: It has the highest aggregate score in a World Cup final, with Switzerland defeating Austria 7-5.
19. Question: Who was the first player to receive a yellow card in World Cup history?
Answer: Antonio Ubaldo Rattin of Argentina in 1966.
20. Question: Which footballer holds the record for scoring in every minute of a football game?
Answer: Cristiano Ronaldo.
21. Question: Who is the only player to win the UEFA Champions League with three different clubs?
Answer: Clarence Seedorf (Ajax, Real Madrid, AC Milan).
22. Question: Which national team has appeared in the most World Cup tournaments without ever winning?
Answer: Mexico.
23. Question: What is the record for the most yellow cards given in a single World Cup match?
Answer: 16 yellow cards in the Portugal vs Netherlands match in the 2006 World Cup.
24. Question: Which goalkeeper scored a goal in a UEFA Champions League game?
Answer: Sinan Bolat, for Standard Liège against AZ Alkmaar in 2009.
25. Question: What year was the “back-pass rule” introduced to prevent goalkeepers from picking up direct passes from teammates?
Answer: 1992.
26. Question: Which player has the most caps for the England national team?
Answer: Peter Shilton, with 125 caps.
27. Question: Which team won the first ever English Premier League title?
Answer: Manchester United in the 1992-1993 season.
28. Question: Who was the first African player to be named FIFA World Player of the Year?
Answer: George Weah in 1995.
29. Question: Which country has the most losses in World Cup history?
Answer: Mexico.
30. Question: What is the most number of red cards given in a single soccer match?
Answer: A record 36 red cards were issued in a match between Sportivo Ameliano and General Caballero in Paraguay.
Fun Soccer Trivia
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1. Question: Which famous soccer player appeared in the movie “Escape to Victory” alongside Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine?
Answer: Pelé.
2. Question: What unique feature did the Adidas Jabulani, the official ball of the 2010 World Cup, have that caused controversy among players?
Answer: It was known for its unpredictable flight path due to its design.
3. Question: What is the nickname given to the classic long-range goal scored by David Beckham against Wimbledon in 1996?
Answer: The halfway line goal.
4. Question: Which soccer player is known for popularizing the “dab” celebration?
Answer: Paul Pogba.
5. Question: What unusual item did fans throw onto the field during a 2001 UEFA Cup match involving Bayern Munich and Lyon?
Answer: Baguettes.
6. Question: Which international soccer team is nicknamed “The Indomitable Lions”?
Answer: Cameroon.
7. Question: What was the official mascot of the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the USA?
Answer: Striker, the World Cup Pup.
8. Question: What special uniform feature did Cameroon’s national team introduce in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations that FIFA later banned?
Answer: Sleeveless jerseys.
9. Question: Which soccer star appeared in a cameo role on “The Simpsons”?
Answer: Cristiano Ronaldo.
10. Question: What peculiar tradition do fans of the Columbus Crew SC have involving a construction vehicle?
Answer: They celebrate goals by revving a chainsaw in a piece of construction equipment called the “goal tree.”
11. Question: What is unusual about the annual soccer match played in the town of Ashbourne, England?
Answer: It involves hundreds of players, and the game can last up to 8 hours over two days.
12. Question: Which famous footballer had a cameo in the film “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”?
Answer: David Beckham.
13. Question: In the world of soccer, what is “an orange slice break” commonly referring to?
Answer: A half-time break during youth soccer games where players often eat orange slices.
14. Question: What humorous event occurred during the 1974 World Cup match between Brazil and Zaire?
Answer: A Zaire player famously sprinted from the wall and kicked the ball away before Brazil could take a free kick.
15. Question: What unique soccer game is played annually on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in the UK, involving the entire town and with goals three miles apart?
Answer: The Royal Shrovetide Football Match in Ashbourne.
16. Question: Which soccer player has his own brand of underwear and has famously modeled for it?
Answer: Cristiano Ronaldo.
17. Question: What color card did FIFA introduce as a joke on April Fools’ Day, suggesting it would send the team manager to a “sin bin”?
Answer: A green card.
18. Question: Which former England captain has a species of beetle named after him?
Answer: David Beckham.
19. Question: In which World Cup did a dog famously save a certain goal by running onto the pitch and catching the ball?
Answer: 1962, in Chile.
20. Question: What is the nickname given to the infamous vuvuzela horn used extensively by fans during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa?
Answer: “The South African Buzzer.”
21. Question: Which famous footballer once starred in a Pepsi commercial where he kicked cans into a bin?
Answer: David Beckham.
22. Question: What is the record for the largest attendance at a women’s soccer match?
Answer: 91,648 people watched Barcelona vs Real Madrid at Camp Nou in 2022.
23. Question: What funny incident occurred with England’s Paul Gascoigne at the 1990 World Cup involving a water bottle?
Answer: He accidentally squirted water into his own face during a match.
24. Question: Which country’s national team is known as “The Bula Boys”?
Answer: Fiji.
25. Question: What unique strategy did the Norwegian national team employ in the 90s by freezing their underwear before matches?
Answer: It was believed to increase performance by keeping players cool and alert.
26. Question: What distinctive hairstyle is Colombian soccer player Carlos Valderrama known for?
Answer: His large, blond afro.
27. Question: Which World Cup winning team was welcomed home with a ticker-tape parade in their capital city?
Answer: Argentina in 1986.
28. Question: What odd method did Romanian coach Anghel Iordănescu use to motivate his players during the 1994 World Cup?
Answer: He hired a witch to cast spells on their opponents.
29. Question: Which soccer star appeared in a music video with Shakira for the 2010 World Cup song “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”?
Answer: Gerard Piqué.
30. Question: What was unusual about the 2002 World Cup ball, the Adidas Fevernova?
Answer: Its design was inspired by Asian culture and was much more colorful than previous balls.