Football Trivia for Kids
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This football trivia for kids quiz has 49 free questions with answers and starts with the American game: how many points a touchdown is worth, what a down is, why the ball is a pigskin, where the huddle came from, plus the Super Bowl, the Lombardi Trophy and the stars kids know from Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce to Lamar Jackson and Saquon Barkley. Then it switches codes for a soccer round: goalkeepers, penalties, hat-tricks, the World Cup, Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Haaland and the US women. Every question is answerable by kids aged about 7 to 12 who watch some football, and none of it is scary or grown-up. It works for a tailgate, a team bus, a classroom Friday or a family Super Bowl party. Every answer has been checked against Wikipedia's article on the player, team or rule, and each question shows its source once you have answered.
30 of 49 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01How many players does each team have on the field in American football?
Eleven
Walter Camp, the 'Father of American Football', set the eleven-player rule in the 1880s.
Q 02How many points is a touchdown worth?
Six
A touchdown is worth six points, the biggest single score in football; right after it the team gets one extra try for more.
Q 03How many points does a team get for kicking a field goal?
Three
The ball has to go between the uprights and over the crossbar.
Q 04How many downs does a team get to move the ball ten yards?
Four
If they make it, they get a fresh set of four; if not, they usually punt.
Q 05A 'safety', when a ball carrier is tackled in his own end zone, is worth how many points?
Two
It happens when a ball carrier is tackled in his own end zone.
Q 06Where did the football huddle come from?
A deaf school hiding its signs
Gallaudet University, a deaf school hiding its signs, is credited with the huddle in the 1890s: quarterback Paul Hubbard circled his players so rival deaf teams could not read their signing.
Q 07Why is a football sometimes called a 'pigskin'?
Early balls used a pig's bladder inside
Early balls used a pig's bladder inside a leather cover, which gave the ball its 'pigskin' nickname; modern footballs use cowhide.
Q 08What is the prize given to the winner of the NFL championship called?
The Vince Lombardi Trophy
The Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for legendary coach Vince Lombardi, is made of sterling silver by Tiffany & Co. and presented to the Super Bowl winner each year.
Q 09Which Kansas City Chiefs star led the team to three Super Bowl wins between 2020 and 2024?
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes, number 15 out of Texas Tech, quarterbacked Kansas City to Super Bowl wins in February 2020, 2023 and 2024.
Q 10What position did Travis Kelce play for the Kansas City Chiefs?
Tight end
He set the record for the most 1,000-yard seasons by a tight end.
Q 11Where do the Kansas City Chiefs play their home games?
Arrowhead Stadium
The Kansas City Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium, open since 1972 and famous as one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL.
Q 12How many Super Bowls did Tom Brady win?
Seven
Tom Brady won seven Super Bowls, more than any franchise, the last with Tampa Bay in February 2021 after being drafted 199th overall in 2000.
Q 13What is the name of the famous stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, nicknamed the Frozen Tundra?
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field opened in 1957, making it the NFL's longest continuously used home stadium; fans call it the Frozen Tundra.
Q 21Who headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans in February 2025?
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show in New Orleans in February 2025, with SZA joining him as a guest.
Q 22Which running back ran for more than 2,000 yards for Philadelphia in 2024?
Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley ran for 2,005 yards for Philadelphia in 2024, his first season after leaving the New York Giants, who drafted him out of Penn State in 2018.
Q 23Which receiver drafted by the Vikings in 2020 is famous for the 'Griddy' touchdown dance?
Justin Jefferson
Justin Jefferson, a first-round pick from LSU in 2020, made the 'Griddy' celebration famous with the Minnesota Vikings.
Q 14Which team plays its home games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas?
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys joined the NFL in 1960 and are often called 'America's Team'.
Q 15Which team plays at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia?
Eagles
The Eagles were founded in 1933 to replace the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets.
Q 16Which 2016 Heisman winner at Louisville later set the NFL career rushing record for a QB?
Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson won the 2016 Heisman at Louisville and, with the Baltimore Ravens, passed Michael Vick's career rushing mark for quarterbacks in December 2024.
Q 17Which team picked Josh Allen seventh overall in the 2018 NFL draft?
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills drafted Josh Allen out of Wyoming in 2018; he became their franchise quarterback and was named NFL MVP for 2024.
Q 18What is the Puppy Bowl, shown on TV every February?
Puppies playing a pretend game
The Puppy Bowl is shelter puppies playing a pretend game on a tiny field; Animal Planet has aired it on Super Bowl Sunday since 2005.
Q 19The Madden NFL video games are named after what kind of person?
A coach and TV announcer
John Madden, a coach and TV announcer, won a Super Bowl with the Raiders before calling games on television; the Madden NFL games were named after him starting in 1988.
Q 20The Heisman Trophy is given every year to the best player in what?
College football
The Heisman Trophy has gone to the best player in college football since 1935; the statue shows a player doing a stiff-arm.
Q 24In soccer, how does play restart after the ball goes out over the sideline?
A throw-in
When the ball fully crosses the touchline, or sideline, play restarts with a throw-in taken by the team that did not touch it last.
Q 25In soccer, which player is allowed to use their hands?
The goalkeeper
Only the goalkeeper may handle the ball, and only inside their own penalty area, never on a ball a teammate has deliberately kicked to them.
Q 26How long is a normal soccer match?
90 minutes
A normal soccer match lasts 90 minutes, played as a pair of 45-minute halves, plus whatever stoppage time the referee adds.
Q 27How far from the goal is the penalty spot in soccer?
12 yards
The penalty spot is 12 yards, or 11 metres, from the goal line, and the shot is taken from there with all other players outside the box.
Q 28What is it called when one player scores three goals in a game?
A hat-trick
Scoring a hat-trick comes from cricket: in 1858 bowler H.H. Stephenson was given a hat for taking wickets with consecutive balls, and soccer borrowed the term.
Q 29How often is the men's FIFA World Cup held?
Every four years
The men's World Cup is held every four years; it began in 1930 and was skipped only in 1942 and 1946 because of the Second World War.
Q 30Which three countries hosted the 2026 World Cup?
United States, Canada and Mexico
The United States, Canada and Mexico shared the 2026 World Cup, the first with 48 teams and the first spread across a trio of host countries.