World Cup Quiz: 25 Questions with Answers, from Easy to Hard

A good World Cup quiz mixes the obvious (who has won it most) with the surprising (who scored the fastest goal, or why there was no final in 1950). This one covers the 22 tournaments from 1930 to 2022 with 25 questions and answers, grouped into easy, medium and hard, plus the hosts, winners and records you need to know first.

World Cup winners and hosts at a glance

Eight countries have won the World Cup between 1930 and 2022:

• Brazil: 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
• Germany: 4 (1954, 1974 and 1990 as West Germany, then 2014)
• Italy: 4 (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)
• Argentina: 3 (1978, 1986, 2022)
• France: 2 (1998, 2018)
• Uruguay: 2 (1930, 1950)
• England: 1 (1966)
• Spain: 1 (2010)

Six hosts have lifted the trophy at home: Uruguay in 1930, Italy in 1934, England in 1966, West Germany in 1974, Argentina in 1978 and France in 1998. A few hosting landmarks are also popular in quizzes: 2002 in South Korea and Japan was the first co-hosted tournament and the first in Asia, 2010 in South Africa was the first in Africa, and 2022 in Qatar was the first in the Middle East and the first played in November and December.

Records every World Cup fan should know

• Top scorer: Miroslav Klose, 16 goals (2002-2014).
• Most goals in one tournament: Just Fontaine of France, 13 in 1958.
• Most goals by one player in a match: Oleg Salenko of Russia, 6 against Cameroon in 1994.
• Most appearances: Lionel Messi, 26 matches by the end of the 2022 tournament.
• Most titles as a player: Pelé, the only man to win three (1958, 1962, 1970).
• Hat-tricks in a final: only two, by Geoff Hurst in 1966 and Kylian Mbappé in 2022.
• Biggest score: Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982.
• Ever-present: Brazil are the only team to have played at every World Cup.

If records are your thing, our hardest football trivia questions will push you further.

Iconic World Cup moments

• 1950, the “Maracanazo”: there was no final; the title was decided in a final round group, and Uruguay beat Brazil 2-1 at the Maracanã in the decisive match.
• 1966: England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time at Wembley.
• 1986: in the quarter-final against England in Mexico City, Diego Maradona scored the “Hand of God” goal and, minutes later, a solo goal later voted the Goal of the Century.
• 2006: Zinedine Zidane was sent off for a headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final in Berlin, which Italy won on penalties.
• 2014: Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final in Belo Horizonte, then won the final against Argentina with Mario Götze’s extra-time goal.
• 2022: Argentina and France drew 3-3 in what many call the greatest final ever; Mbappé scored a hat-trick, Messi scored twice and Argentina won the shoot-out.

World Cup quiz: 25 questions with answers

Easy

1. Which country hosted and won the first World Cup in 1930? Uruguay
2. Which country has won the most World Cups? Brazil, five times
3. Who won the 2022 World Cup? Argentina, on penalties against France
4. Which country hosted the first World Cup in Africa? South Africa, in 2010
5. In which year did England win the World Cup? 1966, at home
6. Who won the 2018 World Cup in Russia? France, beating Croatia 4-2 in the final
7. Who is the World Cup’s all-time top scorer? Miroslav Klose, 16 goals
8. Which team won the 2014 final against Argentina? Germany, 1-0 after extra time

Medium

9. Who is the only player to win three World Cups? Pelé
10. Which tournament was the first to be co-hosted? 2002, South Korea and Japan
11. Who scored 13 goals at a single World Cup? Just Fontaine, in 1958
12. What was the score of the 2014 semi-final between Brazil and Germany? 1-7
13. Which two players scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final? Geoff Hurst (1966) and Kylian Mbappé (2022)
14. Which team has played at every World Cup? Brazil
15. Who won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup? Kylian Mbappé, with 8 goals
16. Which country won the World Cup in 1934 and again in 1938? Italy
17. Who scored the “Hand of God” goal in 1986? Diego Maradona, against England

Hard

18. Why was there no final match in 1950? The title was decided in a final round group
19. Who scored six goals in a single World Cup match? Oleg Salenko, against Cameroon in 1994
20. Who scored the fastest goal in World Cup history? Hakan Şükür of Turkey, after about 11 seconds against South Korea in 2002
21. Who is the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history? Roger Milla of Cameroon, aged 42 in 1994
22. Name the three men who won the World Cup as a player and as a head coach. Mário Zagallo, Franz Beckenbauer and Didier Deschamps
23. Who has played the most World Cup matches? Lionel Messi, 26
24. Which trophy did Brazil keep for good after their third title in 1970? The Jules Rimet Trophy
25. Which team became the first African semi-finalist, in 2022? Morocco

Twenty or more is an excellent score. If you also want club football, continue with our Champions League trivia, or see how you rank in a football IQ test.

Tips for World Cup quizzes

• Learn the winners in order. The list of 22 champions is short enough to memorise, and many questions build on it.
• Pair hosts with firsts. First in Asia, first in Africa, first co-hosts, first winter tournament: these come up again and again.
• Watch the wording. “Germany” and “West Germany” are often treated as the same team in records, but a careful question will say which one it means.
• Practise against someone. A quiz feels different with a clock and an opponent. Our football quiz for friends in 1v1 guide shows how to set one up.

Play World Cup questions in GolVix

If you want to test yourself on questions like these, GolVix has National Teams and Tournaments topics, a short “Why?” explanation after every answer, a daily challenge of five questions and 1v1 rooms where you can challenge a friend. Every question is based on settled facts up to the end of the 2024-25 season.