Quiz of the Day
Football / Soccer
Saturday, 30 May 2026
UEFA Champions League Final — football history, famous goals, World Cup preview
1. Which club has won the most UEFA Champions League titles?
- AC Milan
- Liverpool
- Barcelona
- Real Madrid
Real Madrid have won the Champions League / European Cup 15 times. They won the first five tournaments in a row from 1956 to 1960. The club's dominance is so legendary that their anthem, composed for the competition itself, is inseparable from the tournament's identity.
2. Who is the all-time top scorer in FIFA World Cup history?
- Pelé
- Miroslav Klose
- Just Fontaine
- Ronaldo (Brazilian)
Germany's Miroslav Klose scored 16 World Cup goals across four tournaments (2002-2014). He overtook Ronaldo's record of 15 in the 2014 semi-final against Brazil — the same match Germany won 7-1. Klose celebrated every goal with his trademark somersault.
3. In what year was the first FIFA World Cup held, and who won it?
- 1928 — Argentina
- 1930 — Uruguay
- 1926 — Italy
- 1934 — Brazil
Only 13 teams entered the first World Cup in Uruguay. Several European nations refused to travel by ship for three weeks to South America. Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 in the final. The host nation provided all match balls, leading to a dispute where each half was played with a different ball.
4. What is the fastest goal ever scored in a World Cup match?
- 8 seconds
- 23 seconds
- 11 seconds
- 15 seconds
Hakan Sukur of Turkey scored just 11 seconds into the 2002 World Cup third-place match against South Korea. The previous record of 15 seconds had stood since 1962. Sukur later became a Turkish MP but fled the country after political turmoil in 2015.
5. Which country has won the most FIFA World Cups?
- Germany
- Argentina
- Italy
- Brazil
Brazil have won the World Cup five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) and are the only team to have played in every single World Cup tournament. Their 1970 squad — featuring Pelé, Jairzinho, and Carlos Alberto — is widely considered the greatest team in football history.
6. What is the 'Bosman ruling' and when did it change football?
- A 2000 ruling on player wages
- A 1985 ruling on stadium safety
- A 1995 ruling allowing free transfers at end of contract
- A 1990 ruling on TV rights
Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman sued after his club demanded a transfer fee even though his contract had expired. The European Court of Justice ruled in his favour, revolutionising football. It also removed limits on EU players per team. Bosman himself never benefited financially and fell into poverty.
7. What was the highest-scoring World Cup match ever?
- Brazil 7-1 Germany
- Hungary 10-1 El Salvador
- Austria 7-5 Switzerland
- Australia 31-0 American Samoa
Austria beat Switzerland 7-5 in the 1954 World Cup quarter-final — 12 goals in one match. The game was played in 40°C heat in Lausanne. Australia's 31-0 win over American Samoa was a qualifying match, not a finals match. Archie Thompson scored 13 goals in that game.
8. Which English club was the first to win the European Cup?
- Nottingham Forest
- Celtic
- Manchester United
- Liverpool
Wait — Celtic are Scottish! The first English club was actually Manchester United in 1968. But Celtic beat Inter Milan to win the 1967 European Cup, with every player born within 30 miles of Celtic Park. They are known as the 'Lisbon Lions.' The question was a trick — Celtic are Scottish, not English.
9. How many players are on the pitch in a standard football match (both teams combined)?
- 22
- 24
- 20
- 18
Eleven per side became standard in the 1870s, but before that, teams often fielded 15 or even 20 players each. The number 11 may have been influenced by cricket (also 11 per team) since many early football clubs were founded by cricket clubs looking for a winter sport.
10. Who scored the 'Hand of God' goal in the 1986 World Cup?
- Diego Maradona
- Zinedine Zidane
- Pelé
- Johan Cruyff
Maradona punched the ball into the net against England in the quarter-final. When asked about it, he said the goal was scored 'a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.' Four minutes later, he scored what FIFA named the 'Goal of the Century,' dribbling past five English players.
11. Which goalkeeper has kept the most clean sheets in Premier League history?
- Edwin van der Sar
- Petr Čech
- David Seaman
- Peter Čech
Petr Cech kept 202 clean sheets in 443 Premier League appearances. He wore his iconic rugby-style helmet after suffering a depressed skull fracture in 2006 when his head was accidentally kicked. He is also a keen ice hockey goalkeeper and played semi-professionally after retiring from football.
12. What is the 'offside rule' in simple terms?
- You cannot pass the ball backwards
- An attacker cannot be behind the last defender when the ball is played to them
- You cannot score from your own half
- Players must stay in their assigned zones
The offside rule has existed since 1863 but has been modified many times. Originally, ANY player ahead of the ball was offside — like rugby. The 'daylight' version came in 1925. VAR technology now draws lines to the nearest millimetre, leading to goals being disallowed by a player's armpit.
13. Which was the first World Cup to use VAR (Video Assistant Referee)?
- 2014 Brazil
- 2018 Russia
- 2022 Qatar
- 2010 South Africa
VAR was used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, leading to 455 incidents being reviewed and 20 decisions being overturned. Penalty kicks increased by over 50% compared to 2014. The technology remains controversial — critics say it disrupts the flow of the game while fans celebrate or protest based on replays.
14. What is the most-watched single sporting event on television?
- The Champions League Final
- The FIFA World Cup Final
- The Olympics opening ceremony
- The Super Bowl
The 2022 World Cup Final between Argentina and France was watched by an estimated 1.5 billion viewers — nearly one in five humans on Earth. It is widely considered the greatest World Cup Final ever played, finishing 3-3 after extra time before Argentina won on penalties.
15. Who has scored the most goals in Champions League history?
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Raúl
- Lionel Messi
- Robert Lewandowski
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 140 Champions League goals, well ahead of Messi's 129. Ronaldo won the tournament five times with two different clubs. He once scored a bicycle kick against Juventus that was so spectacular, the opposing fans gave him a standing ovation.