Think You're The Ultimate Soccer Fan? How Many Points Would You Score In This Quiz?
If you think of yourself as a true fan of "The Beautiful Game," let's test your knowledge and see how much you really know about soccer, played by around 250 million people worldwide in over 200 countries. Let's blow the whistle and start off with an easy one.
How Many Minutes Are There In A Game Of Soccer?
Let's break the ice with an easy one, shall we?
90 Minutes
There are 90 minutes in a normal game of soccer—45 minutes in each half, plus additional time (usually no more than four minutes) outside of the regulation time, known as "extra time" at the end of each half.
How Many Yellow Cards Make A Red?
This isn't quite like when you were told, "Two wrongs don't make a right", but it's pretty close.
Two
If you're shown two yellow cards for fouls in a game of soccer, that becomes a red card and then you are ejected from the game. Most players who are sent off aren't fined, but they can be banned for a certain number of games and fined by their professional league for misconduct after a red card.
When Does A Game Progress To Penalty Kicks?
A fun fact: The invention of penalty kicks to end a game didn't occur until William McCrum, an Irishman, suggested they be used in 1890, despite the fact that modern rules had already been established in England in 1863.
After Extra Time
A game of soccer progresses to penalty kicks to decide a winner if the score of the game is even after 90 minutes of regular time has been played and the additional 30 minutes of extra time has been played and the scores are still even.
Who Invented Soccer?
A hint: It wasn't the English.
China
"Soccer," universally otherwise called "football," was invented in 206 BC, where there are records of Chinese soldiers playing "Tsu'Chu" ("kicking the ball").
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Before Leather Balls, What Were Soccer Balls Made From?
The answer's kind of disgusting...
Inflated Pig Bladders
That's right! Before the traditional perfectly spherical ball that you play soccer with today, inflated pig bladders were used during medieval times. There's even reports of Henry VIII's courtiers playing soccer with the heads of their enemies.
Which Country Invented The First Organized Soccer Leagues?
While Major League Soccer in the United States wasn't a thing until 1996, this country has been playing professional league-based soccer for more than a century.
England
Despite not inventing the sport, the English certainly did promulgate it—creating the Football League in England in 1888, playing the inaugural season in 1888-89.
What Was The Name Of The Precursor To The MLS?
Despite the MLS being the most popular way to watch soccer in the United States, it wasn't the beginning of the sport in the country.
Mahanga, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The North American Soccer League
Before the MLS, there was the NASL, which began in 1968 after two FIFA-sanctioned leagues merged: the United Soccer Association and the National Professional Soccer League. The NASL was the first large-scale organized league in the United States.
Krazytea, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Where Does The Name "Soccer" Come From?
While North Americans use "soccer" and the Europeans (and almost everywhere else) use "football" to refer to the same game—where does the name "soccer" come from?
The University Of Oxford
That's right, while used widely in the United States and Canada to refer to "football", the country that invented the word "soccer" as a shortening of "association" (for football) is England. Charles Wreford Brown is credited with inventing the word in the late 19th century.
When And Where Was The First World Cup Held?
Unlike say, a World Series, this tournament is actually played by teams from all around the world...
Ben Sutherland, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Uruguay, 1930
Uruguay was the first country to host the inaugural FIFA World Cup, which it won after retaining its 1928 Summer Olympics title. 13 teams competed and Uruguay won the tournament by defeating Argentina 4-2. Did you know that the first win at the tournament was secured by the United States? They beat Belgium 3-0!
Argentine Football Association Library, Picryl
In League Play, How Many Points Does A Team Receive For A Win, Tie, Or Loss?
Even if you've only ever played high school soccer, you should know this one.
Markos90, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
3 Points For A Win, 1 Point For A Tie, 0 Points For A Loss
First proposed in 1981 in England, this points-based system is now how national champions are crowned.
Goal978, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
What Does It Mean To Win A "Domestic Treble"?
It means three of something, but what?
Johnny Vulka, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Winning All Three Domestic Competitions In Your League
In most leagues around the world, there are three types of domestic competition: the League, a main domestic cup, and a secondary domestic cup. If your team wins all three of these, you've captured "the treble".
Börkur Sigurbjörnsson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
What Does It Mean To Win A "Continental Treble"?
Again, three of something...
Winning The Continental Tournament And Two Domestic Trophies
In Europe, it generally refers to winning the UEFA Champions League (the major continental tournament) and then both the League title in your home country and the major domestic cup championship. For example, in England, you'd need to win the Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League to claim a "continental treble", usually just called a "treble".
ColeTrain4EVER, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Who Are The World's Most Successful Soccer Team?
Which team do you think has won the most championships? It might not be who you're thinking.
mustapha_ennaimi, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Al-Ahly FC
Based in Egypt, Al-Ahly FC is a powerhouse among Egyptian and African soccer more broadly, winning an astonishing 123 trophies. Their next-closest European competitor is Rangers FC, a Scottish powerhouse with 117 trophies to their name.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Which Team Has Won The Most Champions League Trophies?
The Champions League is the most coveted prize in European soccer—but who has won the most Champions League trophies?
JuanJaén, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Real Madrid
Real Madrid has 15 Champions League titles, blowing away Italian outfit AC Milan, who have seven. Madrid won last year's Champions League and in 2021-22, along with winning it for three years in a row between 2015 and 2018. They owe much of their success to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ruben Ortega, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Often Is Each Major International Tournament Played?
Do you follow along with a national team, or perhaps your favorite European national team? If so, this one should be fairly simple.
Adnen1985, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Every Four Years, With Two Years Between Each One
In Europe, there are two major international tournaments held in European soccer. The World Cup and the European Championships are each held every four years, but are staggered so that each European Championship is played two years after a World Cup.
What Was The World's Record Transfer Fee For A Single Player—And Who Was That Player?
As players are bought and sold, rather than traded in soccer, they can command an extraordinary price tag. But do you know who is the world's most expensive player?
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, Flickr
$254.9 Million For Neymar
Neymar, the Brazilian wonderkid of 2017, was bought by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona for an eye-watering $254.9 million, or €222 million. He currently holds the record as the world's most expensive player.
Antoine Dellenbach, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
After How Long Was The Fastest Red Card Ever Issued?
You've got to be determined to be sent off in the amount of time it took this player in 1986...
56 Seconds
That's right. Less than a minute into a match between Uruguay and Scotland in the 1986 World Cup and Uruguayan Jose Batista was sent off for a reckless challenge on Gordon Strachan.
Peter Robinson - EMPICS, Getty Images
What Is The Record Number Of Yellow And Red Cards Issued In One Game?
Everyone seemed to have it in for everyone else in this game in 2006. The referee struggled to put his cards back in his pocket before having to pull them out again, it seemed.
José Goulão, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
16 Yellow Cards And Four Red Cards
These were all issued during "The Battle of Nuremberg" in 2006, when Portugal faced Holland in the Round of 16. There were 18 yellow cards in the 2022 World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands.
Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Which Player Has Scored The Most World Cup Goals?
It's not Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo...
Florian K [2], CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Miroslav Klose
That's right. Germany's first-choice striker in the 2000s, Miroslav Klose scored 16 World Cup goals between 2002 and 2014, besting Brazilian legend Ronaldo by one goal, after he broke the record in 2006, which had been previously set by Gerd Müller in the 1970s.
Where Will The Next FIFA World Cup Be Played?
Have you been paying attention to North American soccer news, because...
The United States, Canada, And Mexico
That's right—the United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host the 2026 World Cup. In the US, it will be played in Boston, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City, LA, Miami, New Jersey, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. In Canada, the teams will play in Toronto and Vancouver, while Mexico will host games in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara.
© ProtoplasmaKid / Wikimedia Commons
Who's The GOAT: Messi Or Ronaldo?
We know you'll love this one...
It's Up To You
They are the greatest players of their generation, without a doubt. Lionel Messi has 77 individual career honors to Ronaldo's 76. Both have represented their country at the highest levels. Messi has won a World Cup— Ronaldo hasn't. Both are still active, though not playing at their highest levels. Who knows what will happen next. But who's the Greatest Of All Time? That's up to you. Battle it out in the comments.
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![Florian K [2], CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miroslav_Klose_Portrait.JPG){kind=link}
