FootballTrivia Questions & Answers
42 football trivia questions, each with the correct answer and a short explanation.
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Each question reveals the answer and a quick explanation below it.
1. How many points is a touchdown worth in American football (before extra point)?
Answer: 6. A touchdown is worth six points.
2. In American football, how many points is a field goal worth?
Answer: 3. A field goal is worth three points.
3. Which football (soccer) player scored in both the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cup finals?
Answer: Lothar Matthäus. Lothar Matthäus scored in the 1986 final (West Germany vs Argentina) and again in the 1990 final (West Germany vs Argentina).
4. Which NFL team won Super Bowl I in January 1967?
Answer: Green Bay Packers. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 to win Super Bowl I.
5. In American football, what is the name of the play where the quarterback fakes a handoff and keeps the ball?
Answer: Play-action. A play-action fakes a run to draw defenders before the quarterback passes or keeps it.
6. In American football, how many points does a safety score for the defending team?
Answer: 2. A safety awards 2 points to the defense and also grants them possession via a free kick, making it a rare but pivotal play.
7. In American football, how many points is a safety worth?
Answer: 2. A safety scores 2 points for the defensive team when an offensive player is tackled with the ball in their own end zone.
8. Which country has won the most FIFA World Cup titles in history through 2022?
Answer: Brazil. Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002), more than any other nation.
9. In American football, what is the maximum number of players one team can have on the field during a standard play?
Answer: 11. Each team fields exactly 11 players per play in American football; having 12 or more results in a penalty for too many men on the field.
10. In American football, what penalty is called when an offensive lineman moves illegally before the snap of the ball?
Answer: False start. A false start is called when an offensive player makes a sudden movement simulating the snap before the ball is actually snapped, resulting in a 5-yard penalty.
11. In American football, what is the term for a defensive back who intercepts a pass and returns it for a touchdown?
Answer: Pick-six. A pick-six refers specifically to an interception (pick) returned for a touchdown (six points) by the defensive team.
12. In American football, what is the maximum number of players an NFL team may have on its active game-day roster?
Answer: 46. NFL teams carry a 53-man roster but must designate 46 active players on game day; the other 7 are inactive and cannot participate.
13. In American football, what is the term for a kick where the receiving team cannot advance the ball?
Answer: Free kick. A 'free kick' follows a safety; however, a 'fair catch' signal allows the returner to catch without being tackled — the kick itself is simply a punt or kickoff. Actually, the play where a receiver signals 'fair catch' and then the team may attempt a 'fair catch kick' for a field goal is the rare rule; the kick type signaled by a fair catch opportunity is the 'fair catch kick.'
14. Which footballer scored the winning goal in the 1966 FIFA World Cup final for England against West Germany?
Answer: Geoff Hurst. Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final, with his fourth goal — England's fourth — clinching the 4–2 victory in extra time.
15. The first forward pass in American football's NFL was thrown in 1906 under new rules. What was the primary reason the rule was introduced?
Answer: To reduce deaths and injuries from mass-formation plays. President Roosevelt threatened to ban football after a wave of deaths from brutal mass plays; the forward pass was legalised in 1906 to open up and safer the game.
16. Which football club did Johan Cruyff NOT manage during his managerial career?
Answer: Feyenoord. Johan Cruyff managed Ajax, Barcelona, and the Catalonia national team, but never managed Feyenoord — the great rival of his beloved Ajax — as a head coach.
17. Which NFL quarterback threw the most touchdown passes in a single regular season before Tom Brady's 2007 record?
Answer: Dan Marino. Dan Marino threw 48 touchdown passes in the 1984 season, a record that stood for 20 years until Peyton Manning threw 49 in 2004, before Brady threw 50 in 2007.
18. In American football, how many points does a safety score for the defensive team?
Answer: 2. A safety awards 2 points to the defensive team and also gives them possession of the ball via a free kick.
19. In American football, what is the maximum number of players allowed on the field for the kicking team during a punt?
Answer: 11. NFL rules require exactly 11 players per side on the field during any play, including punts; fielding 12 results in a penalty.
20. The 1950 FIFA World Cup final round saw which nation stun Brazil in the decisive match, now called the 'Maracanazo'?
Answer: Uruguay. Uruguay defeated Brazil 2–1 in the decisive final-round match at the Maracanã, an upset known as the 'Maracanazo.'
21. Which footballer won the Ballon d'Or in 1966 — the only Soviet player ever to receive the award?
Answer: Lev Yashin. Lev Yashin, the legendary Soviet goalkeeper known as the 'Black Spider,' won the 1963 Ballon d'Or — the only goalkeeper and Soviet player to ever win it.
22. In American football, what specific infraction results in a 'safety' being scored by the defense?
Answer: All of the above can result in a safety. A safety is awarded when the offense causes a dead ball in its own end zone; this includes a tackle, intentional grounding, or a hold called in the end zone.
23. In American football, a safety scores 2 points. Which team receives the subsequent free kick?
Answer: The team that scored the safety. After a safety, the team that scored the 2 points receives a free kick from the opponent's 20-yard line, giving them possession.
24. In American football, what penalty specifically results in an automatic first down regardless of yardage gained?
Answer: Defensive holding. Defensive holding grants the offense an automatic first down in addition to a 5-yard penalty, regardless of the down and distance situation.
25. In American football, what is a 'touchback' and where is the ball subsequently placed?
Answer: A kick downed in the end zone; ball placed at 25-yard line. Since a 2016 NFL rule change, when a kickoff or punt is downed in the end zone for a touchback, the receiving team starts at its own 25-yard line.
26. In American football, what ruling applies when a quarterback's pass is caught by an offensive lineman who did not report as eligible?
Answer: Ineligible receiver downfield. An offensive lineman is ineligible to catch a forward pass unless they report to the referee as eligible; catching the pass results in an 'ineligible receiver downfield' penalty.
27. In American football, what is the maximum number of men a defense can legally have on the line of scrimmage at the snap?
Answer: 11. There is no rule limiting how many defenders can be on the line of scrimmage; all 11 defensive players may legally line up there at the snap.
28. In American football, what is the maximum number of players a team can have on the field during a play?
Answer: 11. Each team fields exactly 11 players per play; having 12 or more results in a penalty for too many men on the field.
29. Which country hosted the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, and also won that inaugural tournament?
Answer: Uruguay. Uruguay hosted and won the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, defeating Argentina 4–2 in the final in Montevideo at the Estadio Centenario.
30. In American football, which rule allows a player to signal before catching a punt, preventing tacklers from making contact in exchange for giving up the right to advance?
Answer: Fair catch rule. The fair catch rule lets a punt returner wave their hand overhead to signal they will not advance the ball; in return, opposing players cannot hit them upon catching the kick.
31. In American football, what penalty results in a loss of half the distance to the goal when enforced inside the 10-yard line?
Answer: Pass interference. Defensive pass interference carries a spot foul, but inside the 10-yard line NFL rules apply half-the-distance rather than the full spot, making it a notable exception.
32. Which NFL team went 16–0 in the regular season but lost Super Bowl XLII, ending their perfect season bid?
Answer: New England Patriots. The 2007 New England Patriots finished 16–0 in the regular season but lost Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants 17–14.
33. In American football, what is the maximum number of players a team may have on the active game-day roster for an NFL regular-season game?
Answer: 46. Of the 53-man roster, only 46 players are permitted to be active and eligible to play on game day in the NFL regular season.
34. In American football, what specific penalty results in the offense losing a down in addition to yardage?
Answer: Intentional grounding. Intentional grounding carries a loss of down plus a 10-yard penalty or loss of yards to the spot of the foul.
35. In American football, what is the maximum number of men a team may have on the field during a play?
Answer: 11. Each team fields exactly 11 players; having 12 or more on the field results in a penalty for too many men.
36. In American football, what is the term for a kick where the ball is deliberately kicked out of bounds in the end zone?
Answer: Touchback. A touchback occurs when a kicked ball goes into or through the end zone, resulting in the receiving team starting at their 25-yard line.
37. Which country's team won the first-ever FIFA World Cup final, defeating Argentina 4-2 in 1930?
Answer: Uruguay. Uruguay hosted and won the inaugural 1930 World Cup, defeating Argentina 4-2 in Montevideo's Estadio Centenario.
38. In football (soccer), a 'bicycle kick' is also commonly known by what other name?
Answer: Overhead kick. A bicycle kick — striking the ball backwards over the head while airborne — is also called an overhead kick; a scorpion kick is a distinct technique.
39. In American football, what is the penalty yardage for an offensive holding foul?
Answer: 10 yards. Offensive holding is penalized 10 yards in the NFL, and also results in a replay of the down rather than a loss of down.
40. Which footballer won the Ballon d'Or award for 1966, the same year England won the World Cup?
Answer: Bobby Charlton. Bobby Charlton won the 1966 Ballon d'Or, recognized for his outstanding performances both in England's World Cup triumph and for Manchester United.
41. In American football, what is the penalty yardage for holding called against the offense?
Answer: 10 yards. Offensive holding in American football results in a 10-yard penalty and a loss of down, one of the most consequential offensive penalties.
42. Which country won the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930?
Answer: Uruguay. Uruguay hosted and won the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, defeating Argentina 4–2 in the final in Montevideo.
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