The World Cup Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The World Cup Quiz
Image: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

About This Quiz

The World Cup is one of the most popular sporting events in the world. How much do you know about this frenzy of football (or soccer)?
What year featured the first men's World Cup?
1930
1938
1942
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was held at three sites in South America

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How often is the World Cup held?
Every two years
Every four years
Every five years
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It is the largest single-event sporting competition on the planet.

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Which country won the first World Cup?
Brazil
Uruguay
Argentina
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The country was also host of that year's event.

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Which team did England defeat to claim the 1966 World Cup?
USSR
West Germany
Portugal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

England hosted the Cup that year and won the final 4 to 2.

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About how many people watched the final game of the 2006 World Cup featuring Italy versus France?
1 billion
715 million
500 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In sum, the entire tournament was one of the most-watched in television history.

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Where was the final game of the 1994 World Cup held?
Chicago
Pasadena
Atlanta
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Brazil defeated Italy in a shootout.

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According to FIFA rules, what is the minimum capacity of venues hosting World Cup finals matches?
40,000
60,000
80,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

And for the opening and closing matches, a venue must have a capacity of at least 80,000.

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From which country was a player first given a red card in a World Cup?
Brazil
Chile
Russia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His name was Carlos Caszely, and he was booted in the 1974 World Cup.

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Why did few European teams play in the first World Cup?
Their teams were not very good.
Travel to South America was difficult.
Residual hostilities from World War I.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1930, getting to Uruguay from South America was hard work.

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When the host country's team is playing, the World Cup has a reputation for causing more of which health problem?
Strokes
Heart attacks
Assault
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The correlation isn't necessarily true, but the stress level definitely goes up when watching your team play.

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As of 2014, how many countries have played in the World Cup?
203
112
77
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

And only eight different national teams have won the whole thing.

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Only two World Cups have been canceled. What caused their cancellation?
Two highly publicized hostage situations
Cold War hostilities
World War II
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1942 and 1946 Cups were scuttled by WWII.

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How many times has the United States hosted the World Cup?
Once
Twice
Three times
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The matches had an average attendance of 69,000 people, a record that still stands.

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Why did Turkey withdraw from the 1950 World Cup?
Lack of money
Political tensions
The team disbanded
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They couldn't justify the expense of traveling to Brazil.

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Which country is the only one to have played in all 19 FIFA World Cups?
Argentina
Brazil
Mexico
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

And the country has won a whopping five times.

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In 1982, the tournament was expanded to how many teams?
24
28
32
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There is now talk of increasing the field of 32 to 40

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About how many teams vie for a spot in the World Cup?
100
150
200
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hundreds of teams hope to make a splash on the football world's biggest stage.

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How many qualifying matches did teams play as part of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup?
About 850
About 930
About 1,100
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The qualifying process is long and arduous.

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Why did FIFA suspend bidding for the 2026 World Cup?
Accusations of bribery and corruption
A terrorist attack
Confusion around new bidding rules
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An enormous corruption case embroiled FIFA in 2015.

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A player from which country scored the first goal in World Cup history?
Italy
France
Uruguay
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lucien Laurent's goal came in the 19th minute against Mexico.

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How long does the Final Competition last?
Two weeks
A month
Five days
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It involves 31 teams, plus the team from the host nation.

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In which year did the World Cup begin featuring custom mascots or logos for the event?
1966
1970
1978
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A lion named World Cup Willie was the mascot that year.

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What was a primary reason that Uruguay was selected as host for the first World Cup?
It offered to pay for travel for all qualifying teams.
Per capita, it had the greatest number of football fans.
The country was the biggest draw for tourism in the world at the time.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The country spared no expense to host the event.

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In what year was the World Cup first televised?
1954
1958
1962
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Uruguay won that year; Brazil was the host country and also runner-up.

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Footix was the name of the mascot for the 1998 World Cup held in France. What kind of animal was Footix?
A sea bass
A chicken
A pig
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He is colored mostly blue in honor of the host team's uniforms.

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Why has Qatar already received criticism for its handling of the 2022 World Cup?
Poor treatment of construction workers
Religious controversies
Racism
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In addition, reports of bribery and corruption have emerged in many news stories.

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Zakumi was the mascot for which year's World Cup?
1998
2010
2006
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A zakumi is a type of leopard that can be found in South Africa, which was that year's host.

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About how many different TV channels broadcast the 2010 World Cup in South Africa?
About 245 channels
About 150 channels
About 95 channels
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The World Cup is always one of the most-watched sporting events.

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When was the first FIFA Women's World Cup held?
1991
1995
1987
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was held in China and won by the United States, which defeated Norway.

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What is the planned capacity of the largest venue for the World Cup in 2022?
About 90,000
About 120,000
About 140,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The other venues will top out at capacities of less than 50,000.

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You Got:
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Matthias Hangst/Getty Images