World Cup quiz

A short history of the World Cup

FIFA staged the first World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay, and the hosts won it. Thirteen teams took part. The tournament has been held every four years since, apart from 1942 and 1946, when the Second World War stopped it. The field grew to 24 teams in 1982 and to 32 in 1998, and FIFA set it at 48 from 2026.

For many fans, it is how football history is counted. Pelé, Maradona, Zidane and Messi defined their eras on its stage, and one good month can turn a squad into national heroes. It matters deeply across the Middle East and North Africa, whose teams have delivered some of its best-remembered shocks, and in 2022 Qatar became the first Arab country to host it.

What the World Cup quiz asks

Every question comes from a real World Cup match, from Mexico 1970 to Qatar 2022: group games, knockout ties and finals. Classic European and South American nights sit beside the results that fans across the Arab world and Iran still talk about.

• Which match? A score and a clue point to one fixture. Name it.
• Guess the year: type the year of the World Cup in which a result happened.
• Guess the score: set it after 90 minutes, or after extra time when the question says so.
• Who scored? Name the player behind a winning goal, an equaliser or a famous strike.
• Who advanced? Pick the side that went through when a knockout tie ended level.

How the daily World Cup quiz works

A new World Cup five opens every day at 00:00 UTC, climbing from two easy questions through two medium ones to one hard. You have 25 seconds for each and can change your pick until you lock it. A correct answer earns 200 points, with no speed bonus: level scores are split by total answer time. Only your first attempt counts on the pack's daily leaderboard. Practice and Memory lane are there for unranked fun, and Guess the goal adds a separate daily: one goal a day, shown as an animated replay.