Trivia › Sports › Soccer Trivia Questions
Soccer Trivia Questions
Forty-two questions on soccer, from the penalty spot distance to who hosted the first World Cup. Play the round, then read every answer below.
Keys 1-4 pick an answer, Enter moves on. Nothing is saved to an account.
Soccer trivia travels badly if it chases current form, so this round is built entirely from things that are finished or written down. Tournament hosts and winners that are decades old. Measurements straight out of the Laws of the Game. Clubs and the countries and grounds they belong to. The vocabulary that commentary takes for granted, from a clean sheet to a nutmeg. Because the site is written in US English the sport is called soccer throughout, though almost every fact below belongs to a game the rest of the world calls football. The easy band is the basic shape of a match, the medium band is World Cup geography and rule detail, and the hard band is stadium names, lawbook numbers and the tournaments that shaped the sport.
Laws of the game: soccer trivia questions
How many players does each team field at kickoff?
Answer: Eleven EasyOne of the eleven must be a designated goalkeeper.
How long is a standard match, not counting stoppage time?
Answer: Ninety minutes EasyIt is played as two halves of forty-five minutes.
Which card does a referee show to send a player off?
Answer: Red EasyA yellow card is only a caution; two yellows equal a red.
Which player is allowed to handle the ball inside his own penalty area?
Answer: The goalkeeper EasyOutside that area the keeper is treated like any other player.
From how far out is a penalty kick taken?
Answer: Twelve yards EasyThat is why the penalty area is sometimes called the eighteen-yard box.
What does a yellow card indicate?
Answer: A formal caution EasyThe player's name is recorded, which is why it is called being booked.
Which body part may outfield players not deliberately use to play the ball?
Answer: The hand or arm EasyDeliberate handling gives the opposition a free kick.
A corner kick is awarded when the ball crosses the goal line after last touching whom?
Answer: A defending player MediumIf an attacker touched it last, the defense gets a goal kick instead.
How long is extra time in a knockout match?
Answer: Two halves of fifteen minutes MediumIf the score is still level, a penalty shootout follows.
Under the offside law, which opponents does a player need to stay level with or behind?
Answer: The second-last opponent and the ball MediumA player cannot be offside in his own half or from a throw-in.
Under the Laws of the Game, what length must an international pitch fall between?
Answer: 100 and 110 metres HardNon-international matches allow a wider range of ninety to one hundred and twenty metres.
A size five match ball must have a circumference within which range?
Answer: 68 to 70 centimetres HardIts weight must be between four hundred and ten and four hundred and fifty grams at kickoff.
What does the advantage rule allow a referee to do?
Answer: Let play continue when stopping it would benefit the offending team HardThe referee may still caution the offender at the next stoppage.
World Cup history: soccer trivia questions
How often is the men's World Cup held?
Answer: Every four years EasyThe gap has only been broken by the Second World War.
Which country hosted the 1994 World Cup?
Answer: United States MediumAttendance records for the tournament were set that summer.
Which country hosted the 2014 World Cup?
Answer: Brazil MediumIt was Brazil's second time hosting, after 1950.
Which nation won the 1966 World Cup?
Answer: England MediumThey beat West Germany in extra time at Wembley.
Which country hosted the very first World Cup in 1930?
Answer: Uruguay MediumThe tournament marked the centenary of Uruguay's constitution.
Which country hosted the 2010 World Cup, the first held in Africa?
Answer: South Africa MediumSpain won the final in Johannesburg.
Which two nations jointly hosted the 2002 World Cup?
Answer: South Korea and Japan MediumIt was the first World Cup held in Asia and the first with co-hosts.
Which African nation reached the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup?
Answer: Cameroon MediumThey beat the defending champions Argentina in the opening match.
Which nation won the 1930 World Cup?
Answer: Uruguay HardThey beat Argentina four goals to two in Montevideo.
Which nation won the 1950 World Cup final round in Brazil?
Answer: Uruguay HardThe result at the Maracana became known in Brazil as the Maracanazo.
What happened to the original Jules Rimet Trophy after 1970?
Answer: Brazil kept it permanently after a third title HardA new trophy was commissioned and first awarded in 1974.
Clubs and grounds: soccer trivia questions
Which country is the club Manchester United from?
Answer: England EasyManchester is in the north west of England.
Real Madrid play in which country?
Answer: Spain EasyMadrid is the Spanish capital.
The club Juventus is based in which country?
Answer: Italy EasyThey play in the northern city of Turin.
Bayern Munich compete in which country's league?
Answer: Germany MediumMunich is the capital of Bavaria.
The club Ajax is based in which country?
Answer: Netherlands MediumThey are from Amsterdam.
Anfield is the home ground of which club?
Answer: Liverpool HardEverton actually played there first, before Liverpool was founded.
Which club plays home matches at the Santiago Bernabeu?
Answer: Real Madrid HardIt is named after a former player who became club president.
The San Siro stadium in Milan is shared by which two clubs?
Answer: AC Milan and Inter Milan HardInter officially call the ground the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.
Competitions and governing bodies: soccer trivia questions
Which organization governs world soccer?
Answer: FIFA EasyUEFA and CONCACAF are regional confederations within it.
What is Europe's premier club competition called?
Answer: The UEFA Champions League MediumThe Copa Libertadores is its South American equivalent.
Which body writes and amends the Laws of the Game?
Answer: The International Football Association Board HardFIFA holds half the votes on the board, with the four British associations holding the rest.
Which competition is contested by South American national teams?
Answer: The Copa America HardThe Libertadores is for clubs rather than countries.
Which nation won the first European Championship, held in 1960?
Answer: The Soviet Union HardThey beat Yugoslavia in the final in Paris.
Terms and nicknames: soccer trivia questions
What is the restart called when the ball leaves the field over a touchline?
Answer: A throw-in EasyIt is the only time an outfield player may legally use his hands.
Scoring three goals in a single match is known as what?
Answer: A hat-trick EasyThe term was borrowed from cricket.
A goalkeeper who finishes a match without conceding is said to have kept what?
Answer: A clean sheet MediumThe phrase comes from a scoresheet left unmarked.
Playing the ball through an opponent's legs is known by which nickname?
Answer: A nutmeg HardThe other three names all describe particular kicking or turning techniques.
A penalty taken as a gentle chip down the middle is named after which player?
Answer: Antonin Panenka HardHe converted one that way in the 1976 European Championship final shootout.
Answer key
- Eleven
- Ninety minutes
- Red
- The goalkeeper
- Every four years
- A throw-in
- England
- Spain
- A hat-trick
- FIFA
- Twelve yards
- Italy
- A formal caution
- The hand or arm
- A defending player
- United States
- Brazil
- England
- Uruguay
- Germany
- Netherlands
- The UEFA Champions League
- Two halves of fifteen minutes
- South Africa
- A clean sheet
- South Korea and Japan
- The second-last opponent and the ball
- Cameroon
- Uruguay
- Uruguay
- Brazil kept it permanently after a third title
- The International Football Association Board
- The Copa America
- 100 and 110 metres
- 68 to 70 centimetres
- Liverpool
- Real Madrid
- AC Milan and Inter Milan
- Let play continue when stopping it would benefit the offending team
- A nutmeg
- Antonin Panenka
- The Soviet Union
How to play
- Pick a mode: multiple choice, true or false, a 60-second sprint, or the daily quiz.
- Answer with a tap, or press 1 to 4 on a keyboard. The right answer appears straight away with a line explaining it.
- Finish the round to see your score, copy the result grid, and step up a difficulty.
- Hosting a night? The full soccer list and a separate answer key are printed below, and the print layout drops the game and keeps the paper.
Tiebreaker questions
Closest guess wins. Read one out when two tables finish level.
In what year was the first FIFA World Cup held in Uruguay?
Answer: 1930 The hosts won it, beating Argentina in the final in Montevideo.
In what year was the first European Championship final played?
Answer: 1960 The Soviet Union beat Yugoslavia in the final in Paris.
How many yards is the penalty spot from the goal line?
Answer: 12 yards The Laws of the Game give it as twelve yards, about eleven metres.
Common mistakes in soccer trivia
- The offside rule means you must be behind the last defender.
The law refers to the second-last opponent, which is usually but not always the last outfield defender. Position is judged when the ball is played, not when it is received.
- A game is exactly ninety minutes long.
Ninety minutes is the two halves of regulation. Referees add stoppage time for delays, and knockout ties can go to extra time and penalties.
- Any handball is an offence.
The law distinguishes deliberate and accidental contact and treats the arm's position as key. Ball striking an arm in a natural position is often not an offence.
- Brazil kept the World Cup trophy that is used today.
Brazil kept the original Jules Rimet Trophy after a third title in 1970. A new trophy was made for 1974 and winners now keep only a replica.
- FIFA writes the rules of soccer.
The Laws of the Game are written and amended by the International Football Association Board. FIFA holds four of its eight votes but does not decide alone.
Running this round at a quiz night
Soccer rounds reward a mix, so alternate laws of the game with World Cup results and club questions rather than grouping them. Start with two laws questions everyone can answer, then a World Cup year, a club or ground, and finish on a nickname like nutmeg or Panenka for a laugh. Keep it moving; long arguments kill a round. The naming dispute is guaranteed, so say soccer and football together once at the start and stick to one for the rest. Use full club names, since Milan, Manchester and Madrid each cover more than one side. Stick to finished tournaments, never form or current squads. For the tiebreaker use the year of the first World Cup.
Frequently asked questions
Why does this site say soccer rather than football?
The site is written in US English, where football means a different sport entirely. Soccer is itself a British abbreviation of association football, so it is not an American invention, just a word that stayed in use on one side of the Atlantic.
Are the Laws of the Game the same everywhere?
The eighteen laws are set centrally by the International Football Association Board and apply worldwide. Competitions may vary a few permitted details, such as the number of substitutes or whether extra time is used, but the core laws do not change by country.
Why are there no questions about the greatest player?
Because there is no settled answer and never will be. Questions here have one correct choice that can be checked, so opinion contests and current form are left out entirely.
Not in a quiz mood?
The question games are a different kind of round: no right answers, just prompts you read out and argue about. Would You RatherNever Have I EverTruth or DareThis or That