45 questions with answers · tap one to see its answer
Sports Trivia Questions
These 45 sports trivia questions go around the world: soccer and the World Cup, the Olympics, tennis, cricket, basketball, baseball, rugby, golf, cycling, motor racing and winter sports. They ask about rules, equipment, famous venues and past events rather than records that change every season, and any record that could change says the year it was checked.
Every answer was checked against two independent sources on November 9, 2026.
How many innings are scheduled in a standard Major League Baseball game?
Answer: Nine
If the score is level after nine, extra innings are played until one team wins.
Checked against baseball.ca and Wikipedia
In American football, how many points is a successful field goal worth?
Answer: Three
To score, the kicked ball must pass between the uprights and above the crossbar.
Checked against static.www.nfl.com and Wikipedia
Which Swiss tennis player retired in 2022 with 20 Grand Slam singles titles?
Answer: Roger Federer
Eight of those titles came at Wimbledon.
Checked against The Guardian, atptour.com and Wikipedia
In 2013, who became the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the Wimbledon singles title?
Answer: Andy Murray
Murray, from Scotland, beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final.
Checked against BBC, The Guardian and Wikipedia
Which Chinese basketball center was the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft?
Answer: Yao Ming
Standing 2.29 meters tall, he played his whole NBA career with the Houston Rockets.
Checked against nba.com, hoophall.com and Wikipedia
What is the name of the Māori challenge dance the New Zealand rugby team performs before matches?
Answer: The haka
Their traditional haka, Ka Mate, is credited to the Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha.
Checked against espn.com, theweek.co.uk and Wikipedia
Which golfer won the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes at the age of 21?
Answer: Tiger Woods
It was his first major championship; he had turned professional in 1996.
Checked against The Guardian, pgatour.com, independent.co.uk and Wikipedia
Which German driver won five Formula One world titles in a row with Ferrari, from 2000 to 2004?
Answer: Michael Schumacher
His other two world titles came with the Benetton team in 1994 and 1995.
Checked against formula1.com, The Guardian and Wikipedia
How many players does each team have on the field in a standard rugby union match?
Answer: 15
Rugby league, the other main code, plays with 13 players per side.
Checked against passport.world.rugby, Wikipedia and europeanrugbyleague.com
In cricket, how many legal balls make up a standard over?
Answer: Six
After each over, play switches to the other end of the pitch and a different bowler takes over.
Checked against icc-cricket.com and Wikipedia
How many players per team are in the pool at once in a water polo match, including the goalkeeper?
Answer: Seven
Water polo was one of the first team sports added to the modern Olympics, in 1900.
Checked against britishswimming.org and Wikipedia
In tennis, at what game score in a set is a tiebreak normally played?
Answer: 6–6
Since 2022, all four Grand Slams settle a final set at 6–6 with a first-to-10-points tiebreak.
Checked against Wikipedia and nbcsports.com
How high above the floor is the rim of a regulation basketball hoop, in feet?
Answer: 10 feet
The same 10-foot height, about 3.05 meters, is used in the NBA and in FIBA international play.
Checked against official.nba.com, assets.fiba.basketball and Wikipedia
How many seconds does an NBA team have to attempt a shot once it gains possession?
Answer: 24
The shot clock arrived in 1954, championed by Syracuse Nationals owner Danny Biasone and general manager Leo Ferris.
Checked against Wikipedia, cnyhistory.org and time.com
How far from the goal line is the penalty spot on a soccer field?
Answer: 12 yards (11 meters)
The penalty kick was introduced in 1891, an idea credited to Irish goalkeeper William McCrum.
Checked against theifab.com, BBC and Wikipedia
In curling, what is the name of the target of colored circles at the end of the sheet?
Answer: The house
A team scores a point for each of its stones in or touching the house that is closer to the center than any opposing stone.
Checked against worldcurling.org and Wikipedia
Which city hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics, the first held in the Southern Hemisphere?
Answer: Melbourne
The main venue was the city's famous cricket ground, the MCG.
Checked against The Guardian and Wikipedia
Which Australian runner lit the Olympic cauldron in Sydney in 2000 and then won the 400 meters at the same Games?
Answer: Cathy Freeman
She ran her lap of honor carrying both the Australian and the Aboriginal flags.
Checked against The Guardian and Wikipedia
Which alpine skiing event is the longest, run on courses with the biggest drop from start to finish?
Answer: Downhill
Men's downhill courses can drop as much as 1,100 meters from start to finish.
Checked against assets.fis-ski.com and Wikipedia
Which English striker scored three goals in the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley?
Answer: Geoff Hurst
His side beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time.
Checked against The Guardian and Wikipedia
Which nation hosted and won the 1998 men's FIFA World Cup?
Answer: France
Zinedine Zidane scored twice with headers in the final against Brazil.
Checked against The Guardian and Wikipedia
Which nation lifted the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup after a 1–0 final win over England?
Answer: Spain
Left-back Olga Carmona scored the only goal of the final, played in Sydney.
Checked against The Guardian, BBC and Wikipedia
Which Italian football club is nicknamed the Old Lady?
Answer: Juventus
The Turin club plays in black-and-white striped shirts.
Checked against The Guardian and Wikipedia
For which Brazilian club did Pelé play from 1956 until 1974?
Answer: Santos
He finished his playing career with the New York Cosmos in the United States.
Checked against edition.cnn.com, BBC and Wikipedia
Which country's men's national football team is nicknamed the Super Eagles?
Answer: Nigeria
Nigeria won the men's Olympic football gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Checked against The New York Times, BBC and Wikipedia
Which Indian batter, nicknamed the Little Master, became the first player to score 100 international centuries?
Answer: Sachin Tendulkar
He reached the milestone in 2012 in a one-day match against Bangladesh.
Checked against BBC, timesofindia.indiatimes.com and Wikipedia
Which Japanese star won baseball's American League MVP award in 2021 as both a pitcher and a hitter?
Answer: Shohei Ohtani
He played for the Los Angeles Angels before joining the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024.
Checked against mlb.com, latimes.com, mlb.com and Wikipedia
The Six Nations rugby championship is played by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and which other team?
Answer: Wales
Italy joined in 2000, turning the Five Nations into the Six Nations.
Checked against sixnationsrugby.com, sixnationsrugby.com and Wikipedia
Rugby league's State of Origin series is played between Queensland and which other Australian state?
Answer: New South Wales
Queensland play as the Maroons and New South Wales as the Blues.
Checked against The Guardian and Wikipedia
In 2012, which rider became the first Briton to win the Tour de France?
Answer: Bradley Wiggins
The same summer he also won Olympic gold in the road time trial.
Checked against The Guardian, The Guardian and Wikipedia
In 2020, the long-distance Dakar Rally moved from South America to which country?
Answer: Saudi Arabia
The rally began as a race from Paris to the West African city it is named after.
Checked against france24.com and Wikipedia
Which nation's yacht won the 1983 America's Cup, taking the trophy away from the United States for the first time?
Answer: Australia
The winning boat, Australia II, had a famous winged keel.
Checked against northsails.com, rpyc.com.au and Wikipedia
Becher's Brook is a famous fence on the course of which British steeplechase horse race?
Answer: The Grand National
It is run each spring at Aintree Racecourse.
Checked against The Guardian, BBC and Wikipedia
Under the Rules of Golf, what is the most clubs a player may carry during a round?
Answer: 14
Golf's ruling bodies brought in the 14-club limit in the late 1930s.
Checked against randa.org, Wikipedia, irishtimes.com and linksmagazine.com
How many feathers does a standard feathered badminton shuttlecock have?
Answer: 16
Feathered shuttles are used at the top level, while plastic ones are common for casual play.
Checked against extranet.bwf.sport and Wikipedia
What is the name of the raised clay ring in which sumo wrestlers compete?
Answer: The dohyō
Before each grand tournament, the ring attendants called yobidashi build a new one, 4.55 meters across.
Checked against www3.nhk.or.jp and Wikipedia
Which city hosted the 1920 Summer Olympics, the first Games to fly the five-ring Olympic flag?
Answer: Antwerp
Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire, defeated in World War I, were not invited.
Checked against Wikipedia and theconversation.com
Which Norwegian figure skater won Olympic gold in 1928, 1932 and 1936 before becoming a Hollywood star?
Answer: Sonja Henie
She won ten world titles in a row and later starred in a string of 1930s and 1940s films.
Checked against vanityfair.com and Wikipedia
Which West Indies batter scored 400 not out in a 2004 Test match against England?
Answer: Brian Lara
Lara also scored 501 not out for the English county Warwickshire in 1994.
Checked against BBC, The Guardian and Wikipedia
Which Spanish golfer won the Masters twice, first in 1980?
Answer: Seve Ballesteros
He also won the Open Championship three times, in 1979, 1984 and 1988.
Checked against independent.co.uk, The Guardian, theopen.com, The Guardian and Wikipedia