Soccer trivia splits cleanly into two kinds of kid: the one who plays it and the one who watches it. This list works for both, because the easy band is about the rules you learn in your first season and the hard band is about World Cup history and the records only a fan tracks.
Who Smarted? makes a daily podcast for curious kids, and the questions here follow the same rule as the show: no question worth asking has a boring answer. 65 questions, banded easy to medium to hard, every answer right underneath.
Read straight down or jump to the band that fits whoever is playing.
Jump to a section:
Easy
Medium
Hard
How to Play This List
Three setups, one for each situation this list usually gets used in.
- Team warm up: Fifteen easy questions while the team stretches. Hands up, no scoring. Every question in the easy band is answerable by a child in their first season.
- Car ride to a match: Medium band straight down. Let them keep score out loud and try to beat it next week.
- World Cup or tournament night: Hard band as a round of 30, one point each. This is where the kid who watches every match finally gets rewarded for it.
Easy Soccer Trivia Questions for Kids
1. How many players are on the field for one soccer team at a time?
Answer: 11 players
2. What body part can’t touch the ball in soccer (except for the goalie)?
Answer: Hands
3. What is it called when a player scores three goals in one game?
Answer: A hat trick
4. What is the name of the biggest soccer tournament in the world?
Answer: The FIFA World Cup
5. How long is a standard soccer game?
Answer: 90 minutes
6. What is the name of the player who can use their hands?
Answer: The goalkeeper
7. What color card means a warning?
Answer: Yellow card
8. What do players wear to protect their legs?
Answer: Shin guards
9. What is it called when the game starts?
Answer: Kickoff
10. What is the goal of soccer?
Answer: To score goals
11. What color is a soccer field?
Answer: Green
12. What do players wear on their feet?
Answer: Cleats
13. What is it called when the ball goes into the net?
Answer: A goal
14. What is the person called who enforces the rules?
Answer: The referee
15. What is soccer called in most countries?
Answer: Football
16. How wide is a full size soccer goal?
Answer: Eight yards, which is 24 feet
17. What does the referee use to signal a stoppage?
Answer: A whistle
Medium Soccer Trivia Questions for Kids
18. What is it called when the ball goes out on the sideline?
Answer: A throw-in
19. What happens when the ball goes out off the defense behind the goal?
Answer: A corner kick
20. What happens when the ball goes out off the offense behind the goal?
Answer: A goal kick
21. What is the area in front of the goal called?
Answer: The penalty box
22. What is it called when a player moves the ball while running?
Answer: Dribbling
23. What is it called when a player kicks the ball into their own goal?
Answer: An own goal
24. What is the center of the field called?
Answer: Midfield
25. What happens if a player commits a serious foul?
Answer: They can get a red card
26. What is the added time at the end of a half called?
Answer: Stoppage time
27. What is it called when a goalie stops a shot?
Answer: A save
28. What is the uniform called?
Answer: A kit
29. What is it called when a player heads the ball?
Answer: A header
30. What is the job of a defender?
Answer: Stop the other team from scoring
31. What is the job of a striker?
Answer: Score goals
32. What is the job of a midfielder?
Answer: Help both offense and defense
33. What does VAR stand for?
Answer: Video Assistant Referee
34. How long is extra time in a knockout match?
Answer: 30 minutes, played as two halves of 15
35. What is the penalty if a goalkeeper holds the ball too long?
Answer: An indirect free kick to the other team
Hard Soccer Trivia Questions for Kids
36. What country won the first FIFA World Cup?
Answer: Uruguay
37. What is it called when a player is in an illegal attacking position?
Answer: Offside
38. What shape is a soccer ball made of panels?
Answer: Hexagons and pentagons
39. What happens if a game is tied in a knockout tournament?
Answer: Extra time or penalty kicks
40. What is the name of the championship match?
Answer: The final
41. What is it called when a player bends the ball in the air?
Answer: A curve shot
42. What is the area where substitutes sit called?
Answer: The bench
43. What is the center circle used for?
Answer: Kickoff
44. What happens after a goal is scored?
Answer: The game restarts with a kickoff
45. What is the role of the captain?
Answer: Lead the team and communicate with the referee
46. What is the curved line at the top of the penalty box called?
Answer: The penalty arc
47. What is it called when a player passes the ball to a teammate?
Answer: A pass
48. What is a foul?
Answer: Breaking the rules
49. What is the name of the international governing body of soccer?
Answer: FIFA
50. What is the maximum number of players on the field total?
Answer: 22 players
51. What is the term for a powerful kick?
Answer: A shot
52. What happens if the ball fully crosses the sideline?
Answer: Play stops
53. What is the job of a coach?
Answer: Train and guide the team
54. What is the term for warming up before a game?
Answer: Warm-up
55. What is the name of the lines marking the field?
Answer: Boundary lines
56. What is a long-distance goal called?
Answer: A long shot
57. What is the role of the goalkeeper?
Answer: Protect the goal
58. What is teamwork important for in soccer?
Answer: Passing and scoring
59. What happens if you push another player?
Answer: A foul
60. What makes soccer fun?
Answer: Playing, teamwork, and scoring goals!
61. Which country has won the most FIFA World Cups?
Answer: Brazil, with five
62. Who has scored the most goals in World Cup history?
Answer: Miroslav Klose of Germany, with 16
63. Which country hosted the first Women’s World Cup in 1991?
Answer: China
64. Which player has won the Ballon d’Or the most times?
Answer: Lionel Messi
65. How many substitutes is a team normally allowed in a World Cup match?
Answer: Five
More Sports Trivia for Kids
More lists for young sports fans:
- Sports Trivia for Kids: 85 questions across every major sport
- Basketball Trivia for Kids: 100 questions with answers
- Football Trivia for Kids: 80 questions with answers
- Trivia Questions for Kids: The 135 question master list across 8 topics
- Animal Trivia for Kids: 85 questions from easy to hard
- History Trivia for Kids: 100 questions banded by era
- Brain Teasers for Kids: 50 logic puzzles and math challenges
Trivia Every Weekday
If your Smarty Pants got through the hard band, they are ready for the show. Who Smarted? releases a new episode every weekday, and the Trusty Trivia series turns a single subject into a full round of questions.
