FIFA World Cup Trivia Questions & Answers (2026)
49+ World Cup trivia questions covering history, host nations, legendary players, and shocking moments. From Uruguay 1930 to the expanded 2026 tournament. Tap any question to reveal the answer.
Updated for 2026. Perfect preparation for the upcoming tournament.
World Cup History
The FIFA World Cup began in 1930 and has grown into the world's most-watched sporting event. From the inaugural tournament in Uruguay to the expanded 48-team format in 2026, test your knowledge of the basics.
Easy
Which country has won the most FIFA World Cup titles?+
Brazil with 5 World Cup wins: 1958 (Sweden), 1962 (Chile), 1970 (Mexico), 1994 (USA), and 2002 (Japan/South Korea).
In which year was the first FIFA World Cup held, and which country won it?+
The first World Cup was held in 1930, hosted by Uruguay. Uruguay won the tournament, beating Argentina 4-2 in the final.
Which country won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar?+
Argentina, beating France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw (including extra time). Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball.
Who is the all-time top scorer in World Cup history?+
Miroslav Klose of Germany with 16 goals, scored across four World Cups: 2002 (5), 2006 (5), 2010 (4), 2014 (2).
How many teams compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?+
48 teams, expanded from 32 for the first time in World Cup history. The 2026 tournament is hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
How often is the FIFA World Cup held?+
Every four years. The tournament was not held in 1942 or 1946 due to World War II.
Medium
Which is the only country to have participated in every FIFA World Cup?+
Brazil have qualified for and competed in all 22 World Cups from 1930 to 2022 — the only nation with a 100% qualification record.
Which country won the World Cup on home soil in 1966?+
England beat West Germany 4-2 in the final at Wembley. Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick — the only one in a World Cup final.
What was the 'Battle of Santiago' in the 1962 World Cup?+
A notoriously violent match between Chile and Italy on 2 June 1962. Two Italians were sent off and both sides brawled throughout. Chile won 2-0.
In which year did Germany suffer the 'Miracle of Bern', winning the World Cup as underdogs?+
1954. West Germany beat Hungary 3-2 in the final despite Hungary being considered one of the greatest teams ever assembled. Hungary had beaten West Germany 8-3 in the group stage.
Which tournament saw the first use of penalty shootouts to decide World Cup matches?+
The 1982 World Cup in Spain. The first ever World Cup shootout was the semi-final between West Germany and France.
Hard
Which World Cup had the highest total goals scored across the tournament?+
The 1954 World Cup in Switzerland produced 140 goals in 26 matches — an average of 5.38 per game, still the highest in World Cup history.
Which referee was responsible for the 1966 World Cup final, in which Geoff Hurst's 'ghost goal' crossed the line?+
Gottfried Dienst of Switzerland was the referee. Linesman Tofik Bakhramov confirmed the goal crossed the line, though debate continues to this day.
Who are the only two nations to have hosted the World Cup twice?+
Mexico (1970 and 1986), Italy (1934 and 1990), France (1938 and 1998), Germany (1974 and 2006), and Brazil (1950 and 2014) have all hosted twice.
Think you know players from their international careers?
Play Career PathHost Nations
Hosting the World Cup is one of the greatest honours in international football. Test your knowledge of the countries that staged football's biggest show.
Easy
Which continent has hosted the most World Cup tournaments?+
Europe has hosted the most World Cups with 11 tournaments: 1934 (Italy), 1938 (France), 1954 (Switzerland), 1958 (Sweden), 1966 (England), 1974 (Germany), 1982 (Spain), 1990 (Italy), 1998 (France), 2006 (Germany), 2024 — and 2022 was Asia (Qatar).
Which was the first African nation to host the World Cup?+
South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup — the first on the African continent.
Which Asian nations co-hosted the 2002 World Cup?+
Japan and South Korea co-hosted the 2002 World Cup — the first tournament held in Asia and the first co-hosted by two nations.
Which city hosted the 2014 World Cup final?+
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the Estadio do Maracana. Germany beat Argentina 1-0 with a Mario Gotze goal in extra time.
Medium
Which is the only host nation to win the World Cup in Europe outside their home continent?+
All host nations who have won the tournament have done so at home. Host nations who have won: Uruguay (1930), Italy (1934), England (1966), West Germany (1974), Argentina (1978), France (1998).
Which stadium hosted both the 1986 World Cup final and a notorious crowd disaster?+
The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City hosted the 1986 final (Argentina vs West Germany). It previously hosted the 1970 final and will host matches in 2026.
Which three countries will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup?+
The United States, Canada, and Mexico will co-host the 2026 World Cup — the first to be hosted by three nations, and the first with 48 teams.
Which host nation suffered the biggest defeat in World Cup history on home soil?+
Brazil's 7-1 defeat to Germany in the 2014 semi-final at Belo Horizonte's Estadio Mineirao — known in Brazil as the 'Mineirazo'.
Hard
Which city has hosted World Cup matches in three different tournaments?+
Mexico City (1970, 1986, and 2026) will become the only city to host World Cup matches in three tournaments.
The 2022 World Cup was controversial for being held in which month, and why?+
November-December, instead of the traditional June-July. This was due to Qatar's extreme summer heat, disrupting all domestic leagues worldwide.
Which host nation in 1978 won the World Cup amid political controversy?+
Argentina under a military junta hosted and won the 1978 World Cup. There were allegations that their 6-0 win over Peru was arranged to secure the goal difference needed to reach the final.
Legendary Players
The World Cup has been the stage for football's greatest players to write their legacies. From Pelé to Maradona to Messi — test your knowledge of the icons who defined their tournaments.
Easy
Which player is widely regarded as the greatest World Cup performer ever, winning it three times?+
Pelé of Brazil won three World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970) and remains the only player to do so. He was 17 when he scored in his first final.
Who scored the 'Hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup?+
Diego Maradona scored with his hand in Argentina's quarter-final against England, then scored the 'Goal of the Century' in the same match.
Which player won the 2022 World Cup Golden Ball as player of the tournament?+
Lionel Messi of Argentina won the Golden Ball, capping his career with his first World Cup winner's medal.
Ronaldo (the Brazilian) scored how many World Cup goals in his career?+
Ronaldo Nazario scored 15 World Cup goals across 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006 — a record at the time he retired.
Which player was the first to score in four different World Cup tournaments?+
Pelé and Uwe Seeler both scored in four World Cup tournaments. Later, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi also scored in five tournaments each.
Medium
Who scored the fastest hat-trick in World Cup history?+
László Kiss of Hungary scored a hat-trick in 8 minutes in 1982 against El Salvador. In the modern era, Germany's Miroslav Klose scored quickly in multiple tournaments.
Which player is the oldest to score at a World Cup?+
Roger Milla of Cameroon scored aged 42 years and 39 days against Russia at the 1994 World Cup — a record that still stands.
Who won the Golden Boot (top scorer) at the 2018 World Cup in Russia?+
Harry Kane of England with 6 goals, including three penalties.
Which player won three consecutive World Cup Golden Balls (player of the tournament)?+
No player has won three consecutive Golden Balls. Ronaldo won in 2002; Messi in 2014 and 2022. Zidane won in 2006.
Who scored the 1,000th goal in World Cup history?+
Siphiwe Tshabalala's goal for South Africa in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup is widely cited, though exact counting varies by methodology.
Hard
Which player scored a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final?+
Geoff Hurst of England scored a hat-trick in the final against West Germany — the only hat-trick in a World Cup final in history.
Who is the only player to be sent off in a World Cup final?+
Zinedine Zidane was sent off in the 2006 World Cup final after headbutting Marco Materazzi of Italy. France lost 5-3 on penalties.
Which goalkeeper went the longest without conceding a goal across a single World Cup tournament?+
Walter Zenga of Italy went 517 minutes without conceding in the 1990 World Cup before Argentina's Claudio Caniggia ended his run.
Can you guess World Cup legends from clues about their careers?
Play Career PathShocking Moments
The World Cup has produced some of the biggest upsets in sporting history. From North Korea beating Italy to Germany's humiliation at home, these shocks defined their tournaments.
Easy
Which nation caused one of the biggest World Cup upsets by eliminating Italy in 1966?+
North Korea beat Italy 1-0 in the group stage at the 1966 World Cup in England — one of the greatest upsets in football history.
Which World Cup semi-final is known as the 'Mineirazo' or 'Belo Horizonte Disaster'?+
Germany's 7-1 defeat of host nation Brazil in the 2014 semi-final. Germany scored 5 goals in 18 minutes.
Which African team reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 2022?+
Morocco became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in 2022, beating Portugal in the quarter-finals.
Which nation pulled off the biggest World Cup upset of 2022 by beating Argentina in the group stage?+
Saudi Arabia beat Argentina 2-1 in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup — one of the all-time great upsets.
Medium
Which nation knocked out defending champions France in the 2002 World Cup group stage?+
Senegal beat France 1-0 in the opening match, and France were eliminated in the group stage without scoring a goal.
What happened to Spain, the defending champions, at the 2014 World Cup?+
Spain were eliminated in the group stage, losing 5-1 to the Netherlands and 2-0 to Chile. They finished last in their group despite having won in 2010.
Which giant-killing performance by Cameroon at Italia '90 shocked football?+
Cameroon beat Argentina — the defending champions — 1-0 in the opening match. They reached the quarter-finals, the furthest any African team had gone at the time.
USA's win over England at the 1950 World Cup is considered the biggest upset of that era. What was the score?+
The USA beat England 1-0 at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. The goal was scored by Joe Gaetjens in the 37th minute.
Hard
Which World Cup saw the lowest-ranked team reach the semi-finals?+
Croatia (then relatively unknown) reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup in their first World Cup appearance, finishing third.
The 1950 World Cup had no final — how was the winner decided?+
A four-team final round robin. Uruguay beat Brazil 2-1 in the last match, which effectively served as the final. Brazil only needed a draw to win the tournament.
Which player scored for both teams in the same World Cup match in 1978?+
Ernie Brandts of the Netherlands scored an own goal and then a regular goal in the same match against Italy at the 1978 World Cup group stage.
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