I was running a pub quiz in Bristol a few years back, and someone got absolutely furious when I told them that Brazil have won the World Cup five times. Not four. Five. The bloke had bet his round on it being four, and he wasn't going quietly. Thing is, that kind of confident wrongness is the engine of a great quiz night — and the World Cup produces it in industrial quantities. Everyone watches it, everyone has an opinion, and almost everyone is carrying at least one wrong fact they've held for a decade.
The FIFA World Cup is genuinely exceptional quiz territory, and here's why: it spans nearly a century of football history, crosses dozens of countries, and sits in that sweet spot where casual fans think they know it but specialists know just how much they don't. Ask someone who won in 1966 and they'll nail it. Ask them who England's top scorer in that tournament was and the table goes quiet. The same goes for Golden Boot winners, host nations from the early editions, and the specific scorelines of famous matches. People carry impressions of this tournament, not details — and that's exactly what a good quiz exposes.
This post gives you 50 questions across five rounds: World Cup Winners (the foundation, easier than it sounds at the edges), Golden Boot and Records (where things get properly tricky), Famous Matches (scorelines and moments people half-remember), World Cup Hosts (a round that always produces arguments), and England and UK Teams (which I promise is more entertaining than it is painful — mostly). There's a decent spread of difficulty throughout, so it works whether you're running a family quiz or a competitive league night.
One practical thing worth noting: these questions skew toward a British audience, so the England round will land better in a UK room than anywhere else — but the rest travels fine. I'd suggest not saving Round 5 until last if you've got a mixed crowd, because frankly the England section has a way of making the room fractious. Spread the misery evenly. Also, I double-checked every single answer here — dates, scorelines, names — because the World Cup is exactly the kind of topic where a quizmaster confidently reads out a wrong answer and someone in the room has the Wikipedia page open before you've finished the sentence.
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Round 1: World Cup Winners
This round looks straightforward until you get to the edges. Most people can name the recent champions without breaking a sweat, but ask about 1934 or 1978 and the confident faces start to flicker. There are only eight nations who have ever won the thing, which is a fact that tends to surprise people — and knowing which eight is harder than it sounds at question time.
1. Which country has won the FIFA World Cup the most times?
✓ Brazil
💡 Brazil have won five times: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002 — the only nation to win on three different continents.
2. Which nation won the very first FIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930?
✓ Uruguay
💡 Uruguay beat Argentina 4–2 in the final in Montevideo, watched by a crowd of around 68,000 at the Estadio Centenario.
3. Who did France beat in the final to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia?
✓ Croatia
💡 France won 4–2, with Mario Mandžukić scoring an own goal and then a genuine goal — the first player to do both in a World Cup final.
4. Which country became World Cup winners for the first time in 2010, beating the Netherlands 1–0 in the final?
✓ Spain
💡 Andrés Iniesta scored the only goal in extra time. Spain became the first European nation to win a World Cup held outside Europe.
5. True or false: Italy have won the FIFA World Cup four times.
✓ True
💡 Italy won in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006 — their four titles are second only to Brazil's five in World Cup history.
6. Which West German player scored twice in the 1974 World Cup final to help beat the Netherlands 2–1?
✓ Gerd Müller
💡 Müller's 43rd-minute winner proved his last international goal. He retired from the national team immediately after the tournament.
7. Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Who did they beat in the final, which went to a penalty shootout?
✓ France
💡 The final finished 3–3 after extra time. Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick in a losing final — extraordinarily rare at this level.
8. Name the only African nation to have reached the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup.
✓ Morocco
💡 Morocco reached the semi-finals at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, defeating Belgium, Spain, and Portugal along the way.
9. Which country won back-to-back World Cups in 1934 and 1938, both times under Mussolini's fascist government?
✓ Italy
💡 The 1938 tournament was held in France. Italy retained their title, the last team to successfully defend the World Cup for 64 years.
10. How many different nations have won the FIFA World Cup in total, as of 2026?
✓ Eight
💡 The eight winners are Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, France, Uruguay, England, and Spain — a remarkably exclusive club after 22 tournaments.
Round 2: Golden Boot & Records
This is where the genuinely obsessive football fans distinguish themselves from the casual viewers. Golden Boot winners are surprisingly hard to recall — people remember Ronaldo and Müller, but ask about Salvatore Schillaci or Davor Šuker and the room thins out quickly. This round also has a couple of all-time records that sound made up but absolutely aren't.
11. Which German striker holds the record for the most goals scored in World Cup history, with 16 in total?
✓ Miroslav Klose
💡 Klose scored his 16th World Cup goal in the 2014 semi-final against Brazil, surpassing Ronaldo's previous record of 15.
12. Who won the Golden Boot at the 1966 World Cup in England, finishing as the tournament's top scorer?
✓ Eusébio
💡 Eusébio scored nine goals for Portugal in 1966, including four against North Korea in a remarkable quarter-final comeback from 3–0 down.
13. What is the record scoreline for a single FIFA World Cup match, set when Hungary beat El Salvador 10–1 in 1982?
✓ 10–1
💡 László Kiss came off the bench and scored a hat-trick in just 7 minutes, making it the fastest substitute hat-trick in World Cup history.
14. Which Italian striker won the Golden Boot at the 1990 World Cup, despite only scoring six goals?
✓ Salvatore Schillaci
💡 Schillaci started Italia 90 as a substitute but ended it as top scorer and Golden Ball winner. He barely played international football again afterwards.
15. Which player scored a record 13 goals in a single World Cup tournament — a mark set in 1958 that still stands today?
✓ Just Fontaine
💡 The French striker scored 13 in just six matches at Sweden 1958. He later said he was only playing because his teammate was injured.
16. True or false: Brazil are the only nation to have appeared in every FIFA World Cup finals tournament.
✓ True
💡 Brazil have qualified for all 22 World Cups held between 1930 and 2022 — no other nation has matched this record of perfect qualification.
17. Who won the Golden Boot at the 1998 World Cup in France, scoring six goals including a hat-trick in the third-place play-off?
✓ Davor Šuker
💡 Šuker's six goals fired Croatia to third place in their very first World Cup as an independent nation — a stunning debut on the world stage.
18. What was the score when Germany beat Brazil in the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup — a result sometimes called the "Mineirazo"?
✓ 7–1
💡 Germany scored five goals in an extraordinary 18-minute spell in the first half. Brazil's Marcelo had opened the scoring before the collapse began.
19. Which goalkeeper holds the record for the most clean sheets in World Cup history, with 10 across three tournaments?
✓ Peter Shilton
💡 Shilton kept 10 clean sheets across the 1982, 1986, and 1990 World Cups — a record that remains unmatched by any goalkeeper in the tournament's history.
20. In which year did Pelé become the youngest player to score in a World Cup final, aged just 17?
✓ 1958
💡 Pelé scored twice in the 1958 final against Sweden, including a chested volley that many consider one of the greatest World Cup goals ever scored.
Round 3: Famous Matches
Football memory is funny — people can feel the emotion of a match without being able to tell you the scoreline. This round tests whether people actually remember what happened or just remember that something happened. The 1970 quarter-final between England and West Germany alone could sustain an argument for a full evening, and I say that from experience.
21. What was the final score when England beat West Germany to win the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley?
✓ 4–2 (after extra time)
💡 Geoff Hurst's controversial third goal — did it cross the line? — was followed by his fourth, making him the only player to score a World Cup final hat-trick.
22. Which player scored the famous "Hand of God" goal against England at the 1986 World Cup quarter-final in Mexico?
✓ Diego Maradona
💡 Maradona scored twice in that match — once with his hand and once with what FIFA later voted the Goal of the Century. Argentina won 2–1.
23. The 1950 World Cup produced one of football's greatest upsets. Which country beat England 1–0 in the group stage?
✓ United States
💡 England were considered heavy favourites. The goal was scored by Joe Gaetjens, a Haitian-born player who represented the USA at the tournament.
24. In the 1970 quarter-final in León, England led West Germany 2–0 before losing 3–2 in extra time. Who replaced Gordon Banks in goal for England during that match?
✓ Peter Bonetti
💡 Banks had food poisoning. Bonetti was later unfairly blamed for the defeat — he had almost no time to prepare for a quarter-final against West Germany.
25. Which country did West Germany famously beat 3–2 in the 1954 World Cup final, despite being considered underdogs? The result is known as the "Miracle of Bern."
✓ Hungary
💡 Hungary's "Magnificent Magyars" were unbeaten in four years and had already beaten West Germany 8–3 earlier in the same tournament.
26. What scoreline did France record against Portugal in the 2006 semi-final, with Zinedine Zidane scoring the only goal from the penalty spot?
✓ 1–0
💡 It was Zidane's final World Cup semi-final. He scored in the final too — before his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi changed everything.
27. Which two teams played in the 1982 World Cup semi-final that went to the first-ever World Cup penalty shootout, which West Germany won?
✓ West Germany and France
💡 The match also featured the notorious foul by Harald Schumacher on Patrick Battiston, one of the most brutal challenges in World Cup history.
28. Roger Milla became a cult hero at the 1990 World Cup. For which African country did he score four goals, emerging from retirement to do so?
✓ Cameroon
💡 Milla was 38 during Italia 90, making him the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history at the time. He went one better at USA 94, aged 42.
29. True or false: The 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany ended 2–0 to Brazil, with both goals scored by Ronaldo.
✓ True
💡 Ronaldo finished as the tournament's top scorer with eight goals, redemption after his mysterious collapse before the 1998 final against France.
30. In which city was the infamous 1994 World Cup final played, which saw Brazil beat Italy on penalties after a 0–0 draw?
✓ Los Angeles (Rose Bowl, Pasadena)
💡 Roberto Baggio's missed penalty — blazed over the bar — remains one of sport's most iconic moments of individual heartbreak.
Round 4: World Cup Hosts
This is the round that catches people out more than any other. Everyone knows France hosted 1998 and South Africa hosted 2010, but mention Switzerland hosting in 1954 or Chile in 1962 and you'll get some genuinely baffled looks. I've also included a couple of questions about the hosting process itself, which tends to produce strong opinions at a quiz table regardless of whether people know the answers.
31. Which country hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2014, famously building or refurbishing 12 stadiums across the country for the tournament?
✓ Brazil
💡 One of the stadiums built for the tournament — the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brasília — was later converted into a bus depot.
32. Three nations co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup, making it the first edition to be held in Asia. Name either host nation.
✓ Japan or South Korea
💡 South Korea reached the semi-finals on home soil — the first Asian nation ever to do so. Their run included defeating Spain and Italy in the knockout rounds.
33. Which European country hosted the 1934 and the 1990 World Cups — the only nation to have hosted the tournament twice on European soil before 2026?
✓ Italy
💡 Italy was also selected to host the 1942 tournament, which was cancelled due to the Second World War. They would have hosted three times.
34. In which country was the 1962 FIFA World Cup held, despite the host nation suffering a devastating earthquake just months before the tournament?
✓ Chile
💡 The 1960 Valdivia earthquake was one of the most powerful ever recorded. FIFA controversially decided to keep Chile as hosts despite the destruction.
35. Which nation hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup, despite the country having no top-flight professional football league at the time of their selection?
✓ United States
💡 The tournament's success directly led to the formation of Major League Soccer, which launched in 1996 — two years after hosting the world's biggest sporting event.
36. Mexico became the first country to host the World Cup twice when they stepped in to replace which nation for the 1986 tournament?
✓ Colombia
💡 Colombia was originally awarded the 1986 tournament but withdrew in 1982 citing financial difficulties. Mexico was selected as replacement despite an earthquake in 1985.
37. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was unique for being the first held in the Middle East. In which month was it played, rather than the traditional June and July?
✓ November and December
💡 The tournament was moved to avoid Qatar's extreme summer heat, disrupting domestic football leagues across Europe for the first time in World Cup history.
38. Which Swedish city hosted the 1958 World Cup final, the tournament in which a 17-year-old Pelé announced himself to the world?
✓ Stockholm
💡 Brazil beat Sweden 5–2 in the final in Stockholm. Sweden became the first and still the only host nation to reach the World Cup final and lose it.
39. South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup in which year?
✓ 2010
💡 South Africa had previously bid for the 2006 World Cup, losing narrowly to Germany. FIFA's rotation policy then ensured Africa hosted first in 2010.
40. The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by three nations. Name all three for full marks, or one for half marks.
✓ United States, Canada, and Mexico
💡 It's the first World Cup co-hosted by three nations. Mexico thus becomes the first country ever to host the World Cup three separate times.
Round 5: England & UK Teams
Right, here we go. This is the round where England fans simultaneously overestimate and underestimate their national team — convinced they should have won more while forgetting the details of the times they actually came close. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all get a look in here too, because their World Cup stories are genuinely interesting and criminally underappreciated on a quiz night.
41. In which year did England win the FIFA World Cup — their only World Cup victory to date?
✓ 1966
💡 England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final at Wembley. It remains the only time the tournament has been held in England.
42. Who captained the England team that won the 1966 World Cup?
✓ Bobby Moore
💡 Moore lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy aged just 25. Pelé later described him as the finest defender he ever faced — high praise from the highest source.
43. Scotland have qualified for eight World Cups but never progressed beyond the group stage. True or false?
✓ True
💡 Scotland's best effort was arguably 1978, when they beat Holland 3–2 but went out on goal difference. Archie Gemmill's goal remains iconic.
44. Which England player was sent off in the 1998 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, a match England eventually lost on penalties?
✓ David Beckham
💡 Beckham kicked out at Diego Simeone after being fouled, receiving a red card. He was widely vilified in England before eventually rehabilitating his reputation completely.
45. Wales qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — their first appearance since 1958. Which legendary player missed the tournament through injury?
✓ Gareth Bale
💡 Wales were knocked out in the group stage but did draw 1–1 with the USA. Bale scored their goal, a penalty, in what proved a difficult campaign.
46. Which England goalkeeper famously saved a penalty from Brazilian striker Pelé during the 1970 World Cup group stage — a stop later called "the greatest save ever made"?
✓ Gordon Banks
💡 Banks dived to his right and somehow scooped the ball up and over the bar. Pelé said he had already shouted "goal" before Banks's hand intervened.
47. Northern Ireland qualified for the 1982 World Cup in Spain and remarkably reached the second round. Who was their manager during that tournament?
✓ Billy Bingham
💡 Northern Ireland beat the host nation Spain 1–0 in the group stage — one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Gerry Armstrong scored the goal.
48. England reached the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, losing to West Germany on penalties. Which England player missed the crucial spot kick?
✓ Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle (accept either)
💡 Pearce and Waddle both missed. Waddle's penalty sailed spectacularly over the bar — an image that defined a generation of tournament football heartbreak.
49. In which year did Wales last appear in the World Cup before their 2022 qualification — a 64-year gap?
✓ 1958
💡 Wales reached the quarter-finals in 1958, losing 1–0 to Brazil. The only goal was scored by a 17-year-old Pelé — his first-ever World Cup goal.
50. Which England player scored a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final — and remains the only player ever to score three goals in a World Cup final?
✓ Geoff Hurst
💡 Hurst's fourth goal, thumped in at the death, prompted the BBC's Kenneth Wolstenholme to say: "They think it's all over — it is now."
What strikes me every time I put together a World Cup quiz is just how much of this history gets compressed into a handful of images. Everyone knows Maradona's hand, Hurst's hat-trick, Baggio's penalty. But the stuff around those moments — Just Fontaine's 13 goals, Northern Ireland beating Spain on home turf, Peter Bonetti getting the blame for a quarter-final defeat while his goalkeeper was fighting food poisoning — that's where the real texture is. The World Cup is the most documented sporting event in history and yet most of its best stories remain half-told. I find that oddly great.
If you spot an error anywhere in here — a scoreline, a year, a name — please do tell me about it at hello@simplyquizzes.com. I'd rather be corrected than wrong in print. And if you've got a topic suggestion for a future quiz post, send that over too. There are plenty more quiz sets on the blog covering everything from music to history to geography, so have a browse and take something useful for your next night.