Soccer World Cup Trivia Questions and Answers

The FIFA World Cup is upon us, and soccer, or football, is the flavor of the month. Here’s some facts and trivia for those of you who fancy themselves as thesauruses of football trivia.

Did You Know?

Spain became the first team in history to win a trio of consecutive global and continental trophies by winning the Euro 2008, World Cup 2010, and Euro 2012.

The FIFA World Cup is a quadrennial gala overflowing the border of the game itself. It is a celebration of the culture and traditions of the host nation, and a chance for sports writers to ring out the cliches once again. It is among the most watched events in the world, with the Final often topping TV viewing charts.

If you have been bitten by the football bug, you will want to know as much facts and trivia as you can about this great tournament. Here’s a selection of some fascinating football trivia about the FIFA World Cup.

The quiz has been divided into three sections, each consisting of 25 questions, based on difficulty level. Choose wisely! Select your answer from the four options to know if you have chosen correctly.

NOTE: The name ‘Germany’ refers to pre-unification West Germany as well as the unified Germany.

Amateur

Semi-Pro

World-class

Amateur

1. Which country has won the most FIFA World Cups?

A. Brazil
B. Italy
C. Spain
D. Argentina

Brazil has won 5 World Cups: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002.

2. Which country has won the second most number of World Cups?

A. Argentina
B. Spain
C. Germany
D. Italy

Italy has won the World Cup 4 times: 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006.

3. Which two countries have reached the final of the football World Cup the most number of times?

A. Brazil, Italy
B. Spain, Brazil
C. Germany, Brazil
D. Italy, Germany

Germany and Brazil have both reached the final 7 times

4. How many times has Germany won the tournament?

A. 4
B. 2
C. 3
D. 1

West Germany have won the football World Cup three times: in 1954, 1974, and 1990.

5. In what year was the first World Cup held, and in which country?

A. Uruguay, 1928
B. Uruguay, 1930
C. Italy, 1930
D. Brazil, 1934

Uruguay hosted and won the first ever FIFA World Cup in 1930.

6. How many countries participated in the first tournament?

A. 32
B. 20
C. 16
D. 13

The first tournament only had 13 teams, with many European teams refusing to travel so far.

7. Which is the only country to have reached three finals without winning any?

A. England
B. France
C. Netherlands
D. Czechoslovakia

Holland holds the dubious distinction of having reached three finals―1974, 1978, and 2010―without winning the World Cup.

8. Which was the first team to win the World Cup twice?

A. Spain
B. Germany
C. Brazil
D. Italy

Italy won the second and third World Cups in 1934 and 1938 to become the first repeat world champions.

9. Which country holds the record for the worst defense of the World Cup (excluding teams that didn’t participate in the subsequent tournament)?

A. Italy in 2006
B. Argentina in 1990
C. France in 2002
D. West Germany in 1994

France, world champions in 1998, were eliminated at the group stage in 2002 after just one draw and two losses (1 point).

10. Which is the only country to have reached more than one World Cup final without losing any?

A. Spain
B. England
C. Uruguay
D. Brazil

Uruguay reached the final of the FIFA World Cup in 1930 and 1950, winning the trophy on both occasions.

11. Which player has scored the most number of goals at the FIFA World Cup?

A. Pele
B. Miroslav Klose
C. Ronaldo
D. Zinedine Zidane

With 16 goals to his name across three tournaments, Klose is the most prolific scorer in the history of the competition.

12. Which player holds the record for scoring the most goals at a single World Cup tournament?

A. Ronaldo
B. Just Fontaine
C. Pele
D. Lionel Messi

Frenchman Fontaine scored an astounding 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup.

13. Who is the only player to have won the World Cup three times?

A. Diego Maradona
B. Pele
C. Iker Casillas
D. Franz Beckenbauer

Pele has won the trophy three times: 1958, 1962, 1970

14. Who is the first player to win the World Cup as both player and manager?

A. Franz Beckenbauer
B. Pele
C. Mario Zagallo
D. Diego Maradona

Zagallo won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups alongside Pele, and then came back to coach the legendary Brazil team in the 1970 World Cup.

15. Who is the oldest player to appear in the World Cup?

A. Faryd Mondragon
B. Gianluigi Buffon
C. Dino Zoff
D. Roger Milla

Mondragon was more than 43 years old when he made a substitute appearance in Colombia’s final group stage game in the 2014 World Cup.

16. Who is the youngest player to appear in the World Cup?

A. Cristiano Ronaldo
B. Pele
C. Norman Whiteside
D. Lionel Messi

Whiteside was just 17 years and 41 days old when he played in the 1982 edition.

17. Which player has played the most matches at the World Cup, excluding qualifying?

A. Lothar Matthäus
B. Iker Casillas
C. Pele
D. Franz Beckenbauer

Matthäus played 25 games for Germany, spread over the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998 tournaments.

18. Who is the youngest player to play in a World Cup final?

A. Norman Whiteside
B. Pele
C. Diego Maradona
D. Zinedine Zidane

Pele was only 17 years and 249 days old when he played in the 1958 final against Sweden.

19. Who is the oldest player to appear in a World Cup final?

A. Franz Beckenbauer
B. Mario Zagallo
C. Dino Zoff
D. Rivaldo

Zoff was 40 years and 133 days old when he appeared for Italy in the 1982 final.

20. Who is the only player to play in three World Cup finals?

A. Diego Maradona
B. Pele
C. Cafu
D. Paolo Maldini

Cafu played in the 1994, 1998, and 2002 finals.

21. Who is the youngest goalscorer at the World Cup?

A. Diego Maradona
B. Pele
C. Lionel Messi
D. Michael Owen

Pele was just 17 years and 239 days old when he scored against Wales in 1958.

22. Who scored the first hattrick in the World Cup?

A. Pele
B. Sandor Kocsis
C. Bert Patenaude
D. Guillermo Stabile

Patenaude scored the first hattrick in the 1930 World Cup on July 17.

23. Which two teams contested the match that came to be known as the Maracanazo?

A. Brazil and Argentina
B. Brazil and Uruguay
C. Uruguay and Italy
D. Italy and Argentina

Uruguay beat Brazil in the final of the 1950 World Cup in the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

24. Who holds the record of scoring at least one goal in the most number of World Cup matches?

A. Lionel Messi
B. Cristiano Ronaldo
C. Ronaldo
D. Just Fontaine

With 11 scoring appearances, Ronaldo tops this list.

25. Who is the only player to score a hattrick in a World Cup final?

A. Ronaldo
B. Pele
C. Just Fontaine
D. Geoffrey Hurst

Though one of the goals clearly didn’t cross the goal-line, Hurst was adjudged to have scored a hattrick in the 1966 final.

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Semi Pro

26. Which player scored in each of Brazil’s games at the 1970 World Cup?

A. Jairzinho
B. Tostao
C. Pele
D. Gerson

Jairzinho is one of only two players, alongside Alcides Ghiggia, to score in each of his team’s World Cup games.

27. Which are the only two countries to have reached three consecutive World Cup finals?

A. Spain and Brazil
B. Italy and Germany
C. Germany and Brazil
D. Brazil and Italy

Germany reached the final in 1982, 1986, and 1990, while Brazil played in the next three finals.

28. In the 2014 World Cup, the Maracana will become the second stadium to host two World Cup finals. Which was the first?

A. Wembley Stadium, London
B. Stadio Olimpico, Rome
C. Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
D. Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

Aztec Stadium hosted the finals of the FIFA World Cup in 1970 and 1986.

29. Which is the only country to have appeared in every World Cup tournament so far?

A. Brazil
B. England
C. Germany
D. Argentina

Including their appearance as hosts in 1950 and 2014, Brazil have played in every edition of the World Cup.

30. In which World Cup did players first wear jerseys with their surname on the back?

A. 1998
B. 1990
C. 1986
D. 1994

Held in the USA, the 1994 was the first World Cup tournament to feature the names of players emblazoned on their back.

31. How many countries have made at least one appearance at the World Cup?

A. 76
B. 66
C. 96
D. 56

76 nations have appeared in total over the 19 tournaments so far.

32. How many countries have played in the World Cup final?

A. 10
B. 9
C. 8
D. 12

12 countries have played at least one final, though only 7 have won.

33. What is the highest number of total goals scored in a single World Cup final?

A. 5
B. 8
C. 7
D. 6

The 1958 final saw Brazil beat Sweden 5-2, with 7 goals being scored in total.

34. What is the name of the ball to be used at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil?

A. Jabulani
B. Brazuca
C. Teimgeist
D. Maximum

Brazuca―standing for the Brazilian people in general, or to the Brazilian way of life.

35. What is the name of the mascot of the 2014 World Cup, and what animal does he represent?

A. Fuleco, armadillo
B. Fuleco, jaguar
C. Trigger, jaguar
D. Dilly, armadillo

Fuleco the armadillo represents the diverse wildlife in Brazil.

36. Who is the only player to play in two World Cup finals for two different countries?

A. Alfredo di Stefano
B. Ferenc Puskas
C. Luis Monti
D. Archie Thompson

Luis Monti lost the 1930 final with Argentina, but won the next one with Italy.

37. Which country has lost at least three games in three separate World Cup tournaments?

A. Netherlands
B. Mexico
C. Czechoslovakia
D. Trinidad and Tobago

Mexico ‘achieved’ this mark by losing three times in 1930, 1950, and 1978.

38. Which country holds the record for the most matches won during a World Cup tournament?

A. Brazil
B. Germany
C. Italy
D. Spain

Brazil won 7 matches in 2002, eclipsing the previous best of 6, set by themselves in 1970.

39. Which country has won the most matches in the World Cup?

A. Brazil
B. Germany
C. Italy
D. Spain

Capitalizing on their constant appearance on the world stage, Brazil have raced on to 67 wins in total.

40. Which country has lost the most matches in the World Cup?

A. Hungary
B. Sweden
C. Mexico
D. Australia

Mexico have lost a surprising 24 times in total.

41. Which is the only country to have been eliminated in three World Cup tournaments without losing a match in normal time (90 minutes)?

A. Spain
B. England
C. Switzerland
D. Portugal

Despite not losing a single game, England were eliminated in the second group stage in 1982, and on penalties in 1990 and 2006.

42. Who holds the record for the most goals scored by one player in a single World Cup match, excluding qualifying?

A. Just Fontaine
B. Gerd Muller
C. Pele
D. Oleg Salenko

Salenko scored 5 in Russia’s 6-1 win over Cameroon in 1994.

43. Which was the first World Cup tournament to feature 32 teams, as is the current format?

A. 1994
B. 1998
C. 2006
D. 2014

The 1998 World Cup, held in and won by France, was the first to expand the previously held number of 24 teams.

44. In the 2006 World Cup, which English referee mistakenly handed out three yellow cards to the same player instead of sending him off at two?

A. Howard Webb
B. Martin Atkinson
C. Lee Probert
D. Graham Poll

Graham Poll showed Croatia’s Josep Simunic three yellow cards before sending him off.

45. What was the World Cup trophy called before 1974?

A. World Championship Trophy
B. FIFA World Cup Trophy
C. Jules Rimet Trophy
D. Edson Arantes do Nascimento Trophy

It was named after the influential Head of FIFA, Jules Rimet, who first passed the idea of an organized world tournament.

46. Which was the first World Cup final to be decided on penalties?

A. 1990, between West Germany and Argentina
B. 1998, between Brazil and France
C. 1962, between Brazil and Czechoslovakia
D. 1994, between Brazil and Italy

Roberto Baggio’s notorious miss in the 1994 final handed a Brazil the trophy.

47. Which country has been involved in two World Cup Final penalty shootouts?

A. Brazil
B. Italy
C. Argentina
D. France

After losing to Brazil in 1994, Italy avenged the loss with a shootout win over France in 2006.

48. Which is the only South American country to win the World Cup in Europe?

A. Brazil
B. Argentina
C. Uruguay
D. Colombia

Brazil’s 1958 win in Sweden remains the only win by a South American country in Europe. In contrast, no European team has won in South America.

49. Which is the only country to have won World Cups on four different continents?

A. Italy
B. Germany
C. Spain
D. Brazil

Brazil won in 1958 in Europe (Sweden), in 1962 in South America (Chile), in 1970 and 1994 in North America (Mexico and USA), and in 2002 in Asia (South Korea-Japan).

50. Which country has made the most appearances at the World Cup without ever advancing past the first round?

A. Mexico
B. Scotland
C. Chile
D. Austria

The poor old Scots have qualified 8 times, but have always been eliminated in the first round.

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World-class

51. Which is the only country to twice enter a tournament as defending champions only to get eliminated in the first round?

A. France
B. Brazil
C. Italy
D. England

Italy went out with a whimper in the post-war 1950 World Cup, and amassed just two points in 2010, finishing below minnows New Zealand.

52. Which is the only host country to get eliminated in the first round?

A. France
B. Scotland
C. South Africa
D. Chile

South Africa became the very first host nation to get eliminated in the first round in 2010.

53. Which is the only debutant (playing in its first World Cup) country in the 2014 World Cup?

A. Ivory Coast
B. Honduras
C. Cameroon
D. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina are the only debutants of this World Cup.

54. Which is the only country to withdraw from the World Cup on the grounds that they were used to playing barefoot, which FIFA didn’t allow?

A. Malaysia
B. Zimbabwe
C. India
D. Ghana

India qualified for the 1950 World Cup, but withdrew from the World Cup after the groups had been drawn.

55. Which team has played only one game at the World Cup in their entire history?

A. Dutch East Indies
B. Jamaica
C. Kazakhstan
D. Bolivia

The predecessor of Indonesia, the Dutch East Indies traveled to the 1938 World Cup, which was held entirely in knockout format. They lost the first match 0-6 against Hungary and have never qualified since.

56. Who scored the first ever goal in the history of the World Cup?

A. Alcides Ghiggia
B. Lucien Laurent
C. Vava
D. Luis Monti

Laurent scored in the 19th minute of his team’s match against Mexico.

57. For which country did the player mentioned in the preceding question play?

A. Italy
B. France
C. Germany
D. England

Laurent played in two of France’s three 1930 World Cup games.

58. In 2014, Brazil will become the fifth country to host the football World Cup twice. Which was the first country to claim that honor?

A. France
B. Italy
C. Germany
D. Mexico

Mexico hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986.

59. Which country was the last before Brazil to host the tournament twice?

A. Germany
B. Italy
C. France
D. Mexico

Germany hosted and won the tournament in 1974 (as West Germany), and hosted it again in 2006, finishing in third place. Incidentally, all the countries in the options for this question have hosted the World Cup twice.

60. What was the official song of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa?

A. Ole Ole Ole
B. Waka Waka
C. The Cup of Life
D. All Rise for Africa

Colombian superstar Shakira sang the 2010 World Cup song, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)

61. Which instrument became world-famous thanks to its association to football in South Africa?

A. Guitar
B. Banjo
C. Didgeridoo
D. Vuvuzela

The all-consuming drone of the vuvuzela has been banned from future World Cups by FIFA, such was their impact.

62. Which two Rio clubs have the Maracana stadium as their home ground?

A. Vasco, Botafogo
B. Vasco, Fluminense
C. Vasco, Flamengo
D. Flamengo, Fluminense

Flamengo and Fluminense currently play their home games on the Maracana, though all four have used it at some point.

63. What was the official attendance for the 1950 World Cup Final between Brazil and Uruguay?

A. 173,850
B. 190,534
C. 200,457
D. 78,838

Though more than 200,000 people were claimed to have witnessed the iconic match, the official amount was closer to 175,000. However, if you answered ‘D’, your reasoning is sound, because that is the current capacity of the Maracana, the venue of the match in question.

64. How many countries have won the football World Cup on home soil?

A. None
B. 5
C. 6
D. 8

6 : Uruguay in 1930, Italy in 1934, England in 1966, West Germany in 1974, Argentina in 1978, and France in 1998.

65. Which World Cup had the highest average attendance?

A. 2006
B. 2010
C. 1994
D. 1998

Despite the low stature of soccer in the USA, the World Cup held in the USA drew a massive 68,991 viewers per match.

66. Which country has won the most penalty shootouts in their football World Cup history?

A. Italy
B. Argentina
C. Germany
D. France

The stereotypical Germanic efficiency shines through here, since the Germans have won all four of their World Cup shootouts! Do they even have nerves?

67. Which is the only team to be eliminated from the World Cup without conceding a single goal?

A. France
B. Germany
C. Italy
D. Switzerland

The Swiss topped their group in 2010 without conceding a single goal, and played out a 0-0 draw in the Round of 16 only to miss all three of their penalties in the shootout against Ukraine.

68. Which was the first team to win three World Cups?

A. Italy
B. Brazil
C. Germany
D. Argentina

Brazil beat Italy in the 1970 Final to take home their third crown. Interestingly, Italy had also won two World Cups before 1970.

69. What percentage of the world’s population watched the 2010 World Cup Final?

A. 80%
B. 30%
C. 50%
D. 60%

Almost 3.2 billion people watched the mega event!

70. Which is the only continent, apart from Antarctica, that hasn’t hosted a FIFA World Cup?

A. Africa
B. Asia
C. Australia
D. North America

It’s the sports-loving Australians who haven’t yet hosted the big gala.

71. How many matches were played in the 1930 World Cup?

A. 64
B. 37
C. 29
D. 18

In a format vastly different than today’s TV-friendly scheduling, only 18 matches concluded the entire World Cup, with champions Uruguay playing just 4 games.

72. Including penalty shootouts, which goalkeeper holds the record for the most penalty saves in a single tournament?

A. Iker Casillas
B. Gianluigi Buffon
C. Sergio Goycochea
D. Lev Yashin

Sergio Goycochea. The Argentine was only playing because the first choice keeper was injured, but he was chosen as the goalkeeper of the 1990 World Cup’s All-Star Team.

73. Which country has the record for the most successive successful qualifications to the World Cup (without being the host nation or the defending champion)?

A. Italy
B. Netherlands
C. Mexico
D. Spain

Spain have qualified for all the tournaments since 1986, having been the host nation in 1982.

74. Which match saw the most amount of goals scored in World Cup history?

A. Brazil vs. Sweden, 1958 Final
B. Brazil vs. Italy, 1982 Semifinal
C. Austria vs. Switzerland, 1954 Quarterfinal
D. Hungary vs. El Salvador, 1982 Group Stage

Austria vs. Switzerland. This topsy-turvy match saw the Austrians beat hosts Switzerland 7-5, with the 12 goals being a record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup match.

75. Which two countries have played the most matches at the World Cup?

A. Italy, Brazil
B. Brazil, Germany
C. Germany, Spain
D. Brazil, Spain

Perennial contenders Brazil and Germany have both played 92 games at the World Cup before 2014.

These were some fascinating factoids about the football World Cup. How did you fare? Feel free to post your plans for this World Cup, in the comments section. Who are you backing?

Let’s get a-kickin’!

These were some fascinating factoids about the football World Cup. How did you fare? Feel free to post your plans for this World Cup, in the comments section. Who are you backing?

Let’s get a-kickin’!