Soccer Trivia for Kids
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127 free Soccer Trivia for Kids trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Soccer trivia for kids should be about the game kids actually watch and play: how many players are on the field, what a hat-trick is, why the goalkeeper gets to use their hands, and who won the last World Cup. These 127 questions start with the basics and build up to the stars and records that older kids argue about at practice. The set covers the rules of the game (offside, corners, throw-ins, penalties), the men's and women's World Cups, the Premier League and Champions League, and the players everyone knows: Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Haaland, Marta and Pelé. Every answer is checked against a cited source and the explanations add one fun fact to remember. Play it as a warm-up before training, a rainy-day classroom quiz or a car-ride game on the way to a match. Take a round now and see how many you get right.
30 of 127 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01How many players does each soccer team have on the field at the start of a match?
Eleven
Eleven players per side start a match, including one goalkeeper; the Laws of the Game abandon a match if a team drops below seven players.
Q 02Which player is the only one allowed to pick up the ball with their hands during play?
The goalkeeper
Even the goalkeeper can only do it inside their own penalty area.
Q 03How long is each half of a regular soccer match?
45 minutes
Each half lasts 45 minutes, so two halves make 90 minutes, plus whatever stoppage time the referee adds on at the end of each half.
Q 04Roughly how many people play soccer around the world, making it the planet's most popular sport?
250 million
About 250 million people play soccer: FIFA's 2006 Big Count tallied roughly 265 million players in more than 200 countries and territories, far more than any other sport.
Q 05How often is the men's FIFA World Cup held?
Every four years
The men's World Cup is held every four years, with 22 editions played between 1930 and 2022; only a world war has ever interrupted the cycle.
Q 06Which country hosted and won the very first World Cup in 1930?
Uruguay
Uruguay was picked partly because it was celebrating 100 years of independence that year.
Q 07Which country has won the men's World Cup five times, more than any other nation, and has played in every tournament?
Brazil
Brazil has five World Cup titles, the most of any team, and is also the only team that has played in every single World Cup.
Q 08Which country won the 2026 World Cup, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final?
Spain
Spain let in only one goal in the whole tournament, and it was also the reigning women's world champion.
Q 09How many teams played at the 2026 World Cup?
48
The 2026 World Cup expanded to 48 teams, up from 32, and was the first shared by three host countries, with games spread across 16 cities.
Q 10Which player won the Golden Boot as top scorer at the 2026 World Cup with 10 goals?
Kylian Mbappé
It was his second Golden Boot in a row, and he became the World Cup's all-time leading scorer.
Q 11What is it called when one player scores three goals in a single game?
A hat-trick
Three goals by one player in a game is a hat-trick; by tradition the scorer keeps the match ball afterwards, while two goals is called a brace.
Q 12How far from the goal line is the penalty spot?
12 yards
The penalty spot is 12 yards (11 metres) from the goal line, at the centre of the 18-yard box; penalty kicks were added to the Laws in 1891.
Q 13What does the referee show a player who is being sent off the field?
A red card
A red card means the player is sent off; the team cannot replace a dismissed player and has to finish the game a player short.
Q 21What is the top soccer division in the country that invented the modern game called?
The Premier League
The Premier League is England's top division, formed when the old First Division clubs broke away to run their own competition; its bottom three drop to the Championship each season.
Q 22Which club has won the Champions League more times than any other?
Real Madrid
Real Madrid won the first five European Cups (1956-60) and claimed a 15th title in 2024, more than double any other club.
Q 23What restart is given when the defending team knocks the ball out over its own goal line?
A corner kick
A corner kick is awarded when the defending team last touches the ball before it crosses its own goal line; the attackers take it from the nearest corner arc.
Q 14A player who gets a yellow card and then a second yellow card in the same match is what?
Sent off
A second yellow card in the same match means the player is sent off: two cautions add up to a red card, and the team plays on a player short.
Q 15Which Brazilian legend is the only player to have won three World Cups, in 1958, 1962 and 1970?
Pelé
Pelé won his first World Cup in 1958 at just 17 years old and was nicknamed O Rei, the King.
Q 16Which MLS club did Lionel Messi join in 2023?
Inter Miami
Messi signed for Inter Miami in July 2023 after 21 years at Barcelona and two seasons in France, having captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup.
Q 17How many times has Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or, a record?
Eight
Eight: Messi won the Ballon d'Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023; Cristiano Ronaldo is next with five.
Q 18Which national team has Cristiano Ronaldo captained?
Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo has captained Portugal since 2008, leading the team to Euro 2016, the country's first major trophy, and the 2019 UEFA Nations League.
Q 19Which country has won the Women's World Cup the most times, with four titles?
United States
The USA's fourth win came in France in 2019.
Q 20Where was the first Women's World Cup held in 1991?
China
China hosted the first Women's World Cup in November 1991, with the final in Guangzhou; it was officially billed as the FIFA World Championship for Women's Football.
Q 24How must a player deliver a throw-in?
With both hands from behind and over the head
A throw-in must be delivered with both hands from behind and over the head, facing the field, with part of each foot on or behind the touchline.
Q 25The rule that stops attackers from waiting next to the other team's goal for a pass is called what?
Offside
You are offside if you are nearer the goal line than both the ball and the second-last defender when the ball is played.
Q 26What is it called when a player accidentally puts the ball into their own team's net?
An own goal
An own goal is when a player puts the ball into their own net; it counts for the opposing team no matter how it went in.
Q 27How wide is a full-size soccer goal, measured between the posts?
8 yards
A full-size goal is 8 yards (7.32 metres) wide, with the crossbar 8 feet (2.44 metres) high, giving a goal mouth of 192 square feet.
Q 28What acrobatic move sees a player strike the ball backwards over their own head while in midair?
A bicycle kick
A bicycle kick, also called an overhead kick or scissors kick, sees the player flip backwards in midair to volley the ball; Pelé and Hugo Sánchez made it famous.
Q 29If you dribble the ball between a defender's legs, what trick have you pulled off?
A nutmeg
A nutmeg is playing the ball between an opponent's legs; in Britain the victim is said to have been 'megged', and ice hockey's five-hole borrows the same idea.
Q 30Which Norwegian striker scored 36 Premier League goals in a season for Manchester City?
Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland scored 36 Premier League goals in 2022-23, his first season at Manchester City, beating the 34 of Andy Cole and Alan Shearer; he once scored nine against Honduras at the 2019 Under-20 World Cup.