225 Sports Trivia Questions & Answers for Sports Fans

Sports trivia is brutal in the best way because knowing your own team is never enough; sooner or later somebody asks about a tennis record, an Olympic first, or a baseball rule you swear you knew.

These 225 sports trivia questions cover football, soccer, basketball, baseball, the Olympics, tennis, golf, hockey, and more, with current records dated or rewritten so the answers stay fair.

General Sports Trivia

Warm up with a broad mix of Olympic history, rules, iconic athletes, and sports from around the world.

1. What is the only team in the NFL to complete a perfect season?
   • Answer: Miami Dolphins (1972).
2. Who has won the most Olympic medals in history?
   • Answer: Michael Phelps.
3. What country invented volleyball?
   • Answer: USA.
4. In golf, what is a hole-in-one called?
   • Answer: Ace.
5. Who was the first woman to run and complete the Boston Marathon?
   • Answer: Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb, in 1966
6. What is the diameter of a basketball hoop in inches?
   • Answer: 18 inches.
7. Which country has won the most World Cups in soccer?
   • Answer: Brazil.
8. What sport uses the terms "stale fish" and "mute grab"?
   • Answer: Snowboarding.
9. How many players are on a baseball team?
   • Answer: Nine.
10. In tennis, what does "love" mean?
    • Answer: Zero.
11. Which traditional Japanese sport is commonly regarded as the country’s national sport?
    • Answer: Sumo wrestling
12. Which NFL team has a lightning bolt on its helmet?
    • Answer: Los Angeles Chargers.
13. Who holds the record for most home runs in a single MLB season?
    • Answer: Barry Bonds (73).
14. What’s the regulation time for a soccer match?
    • Answer: 90 minutes.
15. How many gold medals did Usain Bolt win at the Olympics?
    • Answer: Eight.
16. What city hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics?
    • Answer: Beijing.
17. What is the standard maximum break in snooker without benefiting from a foul?
    • Answer: 147
18. What is the length of a marathon?
    • Answer: 26.2 miles.
19. Who is the only athlete to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series?
    • Answer: Deion Sanders.
20. In basketball, what is the penalty for traveling?
    • Answer: Turnover.
21. Which sport features the Triple Crown?
    • Answer: Horse Racing.
22. Who won the first event contested at the 1896 modern Olympic Games?
    • Answer: James Connolly of the United States, in the triple jump
23. How many rings are there in the Olympic logo?
    • Answer: Five.
24. What is a "hat trick" in soccer?
    • Answer: Three goals by a single player.
25. Which sport uses a puck?
    • Answer: Ice Hockey.
26. How long is a standard NHL rink?
    • Answer: 200 feet
27. What color are the goalposts in American football?
    • Answer: Yellow.
28. Who won the FIFA World Cup in 2018?
    • Answer: France.
29. What is the term for three strikes in a row in bowling?
    • Answer: Turkey.
30. How many players from each team are on the court in indoor volleyball?
    • Answer: Six
31. What material is used in making a basketball?
    • Answer: Leather or synthetic leather.
32. What year was the first Super Bowl played?
    • Answer: 1967.
33. What does NBA stand for?
    • Answer: National Basketball Association.
34. Who holds the record for the most Wimbledon singles titles?
    • Answer: Martina Navratilova, with nine
35. What’s the name of the trophy awarded in the NHL playoffs?
    • Answer: Stanley Cup.

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Football and Soccer Trivia

This round mixes the NFL with world soccer, from scoring and rules to World Cups, league history, and famous moments.

1. What’s the term for when a soccer ball is passed backward?
   • Answer: Backpass.
2. Which NFL team is nicknamed “America’s Team”?
   • Answer: Dallas Cowboys.
3. Who is the all-time leading scorer in the FIFA World Cup?
   • Answer: Miroslav Klose.
4. What is the official name for a soccer field?
   • Answer: Pitch.
5. How many points is a touchdown worth in football?
   • Answer: Six.
6. Which country hosted the first FIFA World Cup?
   • Answer: Uruguay.
7. Who was the first player to win the Heisman Trophy twice?
   • Answer: Archie Griffin.
8. What does VAR stand for in soccer?
   • Answer: Video Assistant Referee.
9. What is the nickname of the Green Bay Packers stadium?
   • Answer: Lambeau Field.
10. Who scored the "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup?
    • Answer: Diego Maradona.
11. What is the duration of each quarter in an NFL game?
    • Answer: 15 minutes.
12. How many players are on the field in a soccer match?
    • Answer: 22.
13. What team won the first Super Bowl?
    • Answer: Green Bay Packers.
14. Which soccer club has won the most UEFA Champions League titles?
    • Answer: Real Madrid.
15. What is a "pick-six" in football?
    • Answer: An interception returned for a touchdown.
16. Who is the NFL's all-time leading rusher?
    • Answer: Emmitt Smith.
17. What is the soccer offside rule designed to prevent?
    • Answer: An attacker gaining an unfair position beyond the ball and the second-last defender when a teammate plays the ball
18. What’s the name of the international tournament for women’s soccer?
    • Answer: FIFA Women’s World Cup.
19. What is a “corner kick” in soccer?
    • Answer: Awarded when the ball crosses the goal line last touched by a defender.
20. Which national team has won the most Copa América titles?
    • Answer: Argentina, with 16
21. What is the NFL championship game called?
    • Answer: Super Bowl.
22. What is a "header" in soccer?
    • Answer: Hitting the ball with the head.
23. Who holds the record for most goals in a single World Cup?
    • Answer: Just Fontaine (13).
24. What year was the Premier League founded?
    • Answer: 1992.
25. Who is the only NFL player to win three MVP awards consecutively?
    • Answer: Brett Favre.
26. How long is halftime in a regular-season NFL game?
    • Answer: 12 minutes
27. What are soccer shoes called?
    • Answer: Cleats.
28. What does a red card signify in soccer?
    • Answer: Player is ejected.
29. How many teams play in the NFL?
    • Answer: 32.
30. Who won the first Women’s World Cup?
    • Answer: United States (1991).
31. Which football position snaps the ball?
    • Answer: Center.

Basketball Trivia

Time for NBA history, court rules, records, nicknames, and the players who changed the game.

1. Which franchise has won the most NBA championships?
   • Answer: Boston Celtics, with 18
2. Who is the NBA's all-time leading scorer?
   • Answer: LeBron James.
3. What year was the NBA founded?
   • Answer: 1946.
4. Who was known as “The Mailman” in the NBA?
   • Answer: Karl Malone.
5. How many players are on a basketball team on the court at once?
   • Answer: Five.
6. What is the regulation height of a basketball hoop?
   • Answer: 10 feet.
7. Who holds the record for most points scored in a single NBA game?
   • Answer: Wilt Chamberlain (100 points).
8. What is the term for a defensive rebound followed by a fast offensive play?
   • Answer: Fast break.
9. What is the name of the NBA trophy awarded to the champions?
   • Answer: Larry O’Brien Trophy.
10. Who is nicknamed "The Big Fundamental"?
    • Answer: Tim Duncan.
11. How many points is a shot from beyond the arc worth?
    • Answer: Three.
12. What team did Shaquille O’Neal win his first championship with?
    • Answer: Los Angeles Lakers.
13. Which NBA player has the most career assists?
    • Answer: John Stockton.
14. What is the violation called when a player moves without dribbling?
    • Answer: Traveling.
15. What team drafted Kobe Bryant?
    • Answer: Charlotte Hornets.
16. What is the term for a shot that bounces off the backboard and into the hoop?
    • Answer: Bank shot.
17. Who won the first NBA Slam Dunk Contest?
    • Answer: Larry Nance.
18. What is a double-double in basketball?
    • Answer: 10 or more in two statistical categories.
19. Which NBA player is known as "The Greek Freak"?
    • Answer: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
20. How long is a regulation NBA game?
    • Answer: 48 minutes.
21. What team holds the record for most wins in a single season?
    • Answer: Golden State Warriors (73 wins, 2015–16).
22. What is the term for an offensive player holding the ball for more than 24 seconds?
    • Answer: Shot clock violation.
23. Who is the shortest player to ever play in the NBA?
    • Answer: Muggsy Bogues (5'3").
24. What is the NBA’s official minor league called?
    • Answer: The NBA G League
25. What country did Yao Ming represent in international basketball?
    • Answer: China.
26. Who is the youngest player to score 10,000 points in the NBA?
    • Answer: LeBron James.
27. What is a flagrant foul?
    • Answer: A serious foul with excessive contact.
28. Which two Golden State Warriors stars became known as the “Splash Brothers”?
    • Answer: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson
29. What is the term for scoring a basket and getting fouled for a free throw?
    • Answer: And-one.
30. Who coached the Chicago Bulls during their six championships in the 1990s?
    • Answer: Phil Jackson.
31. What player won the NBA MVP award four times in five years?
    • Answer: LeBron James.
32. What is a triple-double?
    • Answer: 10 or more in three statistical categories.
33. How many seconds does a team have to advance the ball past half court?
    • Answer: Eight seconds.
34. Who is the all-time leading rebounder in NBA history?
    • Answer: Wilt Chamberlain.
35. What is the term for a blocked shot that is traveling downward?
    • Answer: Goaltending.
36. What team did Magic Johnson play for?
    • Answer: Los Angeles Lakers.

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Baseball Trivia

Step up for MLB history, ballpark rules, records, pitching, hitting, and World Series facts.

1. What is the term for when a batter gets three strikes?
   • Answer: Strikeout.
2. Who holds the MLB record for most home runs in a career?
   • Answer: Barry Bonds (762).
3. What is the distance between the bases in MLB?
   • Answer: 90 feet.
4. Who broke Major League Baseball’s modern color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947?
   • Answer: Jackie Robinson
5. How many innings are in a standard baseball game?
   • Answer: Nine.
6. What is a “grand slam” in baseball?
   • Answer: A home run with the bases loaded.
7. What is the position of the player behind home plate?
   • Answer: Catcher.
8. Which MLB franchise has won the most World Series championships?
   • Answer: The New York Yankees
9. What year was the first World Series played?
   • Answer: 1903.
10. What is a "no-hitter"?
    • Answer: A game where no hits are allowed.
11. What is a “walk-off” in baseball?
    • Answer: A game-ending hit or play.
12. What is the term for a batter swinging and missing three times?
    • Answer: Strikeout.
13. What is the maximum number of outs in an inning?
    • Answer: Six.
14. What is a balk in baseball?
    • Answer: An illegal motion by the pitcher.
15. What team is known as the "Cubs"?
    • Answer: Chicago Cubs.
16. What is a ball called when a batter hits it outside the foul lines?
    • Answer: A foul ball
17. Who won the MLB World Series in 2022?
    • Answer: Houston Astros.
18. How many balls does it take to walk to first base?
    • Answer: Four.
19. What is the name of the MLB championship trophy?
    • Answer: Commissioner’s Trophy.
20. What is the term for when a batter gets on base by hitting the ball?
    • Answer: Base hit.
21. What is the name of the MLB All-Star Game?
    • Answer: Midsummer Classic.
22. What team did Babe Ruth start his career with?
    • Answer: Boston Red Sox.
23. How many strikes does it take to strike out?
    • Answer: Three.
24. Who has the most Cy Young Awards?
    • Answer: Roger Clemens (7).
25. What is a pinch hitter?
    • Answer: A substitute batter.
26. How many feet is the pitching mound from home plate?
    • Answer: 60 feet, 6 inches.
27. What is a switch hitter?
    • Answer: A batter who can hit from both sides of the plate.
28. Who is MLB’s all-time leader in hits?
    • Answer: Pete Rose.
29. What is a save in baseball?
    • Answer: When a relief pitcher preserves a win.
30. What is a "triple play"?
    • Answer: Three outs made in one play.
31. What is it called when one pitcher completes a game without allowing the opponent to score?
    • Answer: A shutout
32. What is a "wild pitch"?
    • Answer: A pitch too erratic to be caught.
33. What is the term for when the bases are fully occupied?
    • Answer: Bases loaded.

More Sports Trivia

Finish with tennis, golf, hockey, rugby, motorsports, track and field, bowling, and a few curveballs.

1. What is recognized as the oldest trophy in international sport?
   • Answer: The America’s Cup
2. What year did Tiger Woods win his first Masters?
   • Answer: 1997.
3. In hockey, what is the term for scoring three goals in one game?
   • Answer: Hat trick.
4. What sport is often referred to as the “Sport of Kings”?
   • Answer: Horse racing.
5. Who won the first Tour de France?
   • Answer: Maurice Garin.
6. What is the term for a score of one under par on a golf hole?
   • Answer: Birdie.
7. How many periods are there in a regulation hockey game?
   • Answer: Three.
8. Who holds the men’s record for the most Grand Slam singles titles?
   • Answer: Novak Djokovic, with 24
9. What is the name of the arena where the New York Knicks play?
   • Answer: Madison Square Garden.
10. Which boxer was nicknamed "The Greatest"?
    • Answer: Muhammad Ali.
11. What is the name of the famous annual cricket competition between England and Australia?
    • Answer: The Ashes.
12. What sport uses the term “home run”?
    • Answer: Baseball.
13. Which golfer won the four tournaments then considered golf’s Grand Slam in 1930?
    • Answer: Bobby Jones
14. How many points is a try worth in rugby union?
    • Answer: Five
15. What team has the longest winning streak in NBA history?
    • Answer: Los Angeles Lakers (33 games).
16. Who became the youngest Grand Slam singles champion of the Open Era when she won the 1997 Australian Open?
    • Answer: Martina Hingis
17. What does the term “triple crown” mean in horse racing?
    • Answer: Winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.
18. How many times has Serena Williams won Wimbledon?
    • Answer: Seven.
19. Which track-and-field athlete has won the most Olympic medals?
    • Answer: Paavo Nurmi, with 12
20. How many medals did Simone Biles win at the 2016 Olympics?
    • Answer: Five.
21. What year was the first FIFA Women’s World Cup held?
    • Answer: 1991.
22. What is the term for when a baseball pitcher throws a ball that hits the batter?
    • Answer: Hit by pitch.
23. What sport did astronaut Alan Shepard famously demonstrate on the Moon in 1971?
    • Answer: Golf
24. What country won the first Rugby World Cup?
    • Answer: New Zealand.
25. What is the maximum weight for a regulation bowling ball?
    • Answer: 16 pounds.
26. Who became the NBA’s first Black head coach in 1966?
    • Answer: Bill Russell
27. In baseball, what is the term for a player who can play multiple positions?
    • Answer: Utility player.
28. What is the term for scoring two goals in one soccer game?
    • Answer: Brace.
29. Who is the only athlete to win an Olympic gold medal and a Nobel Prize?
    • Answer: Philip Noel-Baker.
30. How many players are there on a rugby team?
    • Answer: 15.
31. What is the term for the starting signal in track and field races?
    • Answer: Gun.
32. What is the term for when a basketball player hangs on the rim after a dunk?
    • Answer: Rim hanging.
33. Which two cities had each hosted the Summer Olympics three times by the end of 2024?
    • Answer: London and Paris
34. What is the term for the boundary line in tennis?
    • Answer: Baseline.
35. How many bases are there in baseball?
    • Answer: Four.
36. Who is the all-time leading goal scorer in the NHL?
    • Answer: Wayne Gretzky.
37. What year did the NFL and AFL merge?
    • Answer: 1970.
38. What is the term for when a horse racing track is muddy?
    • Answer: Sloppy.
39. Who holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals in gymnastics?
    • Answer: Larisa Latynina, with nine
40. How many points is a free throw worth in basketball?
    • Answer: One.
41. What is the nickname of Usain Bolt?
    • Answer: Lightning Bolt.
42. What is the regulation size of a soccer goal?
    • Answer: 8 feet tall by 24 feet wide.
43. Which country invented cricket?
    • Answer: England.
44. How many players are on the field during a cricket match?
    • Answer: 22 (11 per team).
45. What is a “perfect game” in bowling?
    • Answer: Scoring 300 points.
46. What is the term for scoring no points in tennis?
    • Answer: Love.
47. How many fouls does it take to foul out in an NBA game?
    • Answer: Six.
48. What is the term for the person who calls balls and strikes in baseball?
    • Answer: Umpire.
49. How many players from each team are on the field in men’s field lacrosse?
    • Answer: 10
50. What is the record for most Olympic gold medals won at a single Olympics?
    • Answer: Eight (Michael Phelps, 2008).
51. How long is a standard rugby match?
    • Answer: 80 minutes.
52. What year was the first modern Olympics held?
    • Answer: 1896.
53. What is the fastest land speed achieved by a cyclist?
    • Answer: 183.9 mph (Denise Mueller-Korenek).
54. How many players are on an ice hockey team during play?
    • Answer: Six.
55. What is the term for when a team has more players on the ice due to a penalty?
    • Answer: Power play.
56. What is a shuttlecock used in?
    • Answer: Badminton.
57. How many holes are in a standard golf course?
    • Answer: 18.
58. Who became the youngest boxer to win a world heavyweight title?
    • Answer: Mike Tyson, at age 20
59. How many hurdles are in a 400-meter hurdle race?
    • Answer: 10.
60. What is the term for a zero in bowling?
    • Answer: Gutter ball.
61. What sport uses the term “icing”?
    • Answer: Ice hockey.
62. How many points does a bullseye in archery score?
    • Answer: 10.
63. What is the term for a team losing possession of the football?
    • Answer: Turnover.
64. Who was the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in the Olympics?
    • Answer: Nadia Comăneci.
65. What is the regulation weight of a soccer ball?
    • Answer: 14–16 ounces.
66. Who has the most 3-pointers in NBA history?
    • Answer: Stephen Curry.
67. What year did the Chicago Cubs break their World Series drought?
    • Answer: 2016.
68. What is the term for a person who directs a rowboat team?
    • Answer: Coxswain.
69. How many rotations are there in figure skating’s quadruple jump?
    • Answer: Four.
70. What is the record for the fastest 100-meter sprint?
    • Answer: 9.58 seconds (Usain Bolt).
71. What sport is played at Wimbledon?
    • Answer: Tennis.
72. How many players are on the field in American football?
    • Answer: 22.
73. Who is the all-time leading scorer in NBA playoff history?
    • Answer: LeBron James.
74. What is the term for hitting the baseball out of the park?
    • Answer: Home run.
75. What are the standard match formats for men’s and women’s singles at Grand Slam tennis tournaments?
    • Answer: Best of five sets for men and best of three for women
76. What is the term for a pin left standing in bowling?
    • Answer: Split.
77. Who won the first FIFA World Cup?
    • Answer: Uruguay (1930).
78. What is the term for a point scored in volleyball?
    • Answer: Rally point.
79. What year did Formula 1 racing begin?
    • Answer: 1950.
80. What is the name of the competition held annually between the USA and Europe in golf?
    • Answer: Ryder Cup.
81. How many lanes are on a standard Olympic swimming pool?
    • Answer: 10.
82. Who is known as “The Great One” in hockey?
    • Answer: Wayne Gretzky.
83. How many players are on the court in beach volleyball?
    • Answer: Four (two per team).
84. What is the diameter of a standard golf hole?
    • Answer: 4.25 inches.
85. Who holds the Open Era record for the longest women’s singles winning streak?
    • Answer: Martina Navratilova, with 74 matches
86. What is the term for the area where pitchers warm up?
    • Answer: Bullpen.
87. What is a “double play” in baseball?
    • Answer: Two outs in one play.
88. How many teams are in the English Premier League?
    • Answer: 20.
89. What color does the International Tennis Federation specify for tournament tennis balls?
    • Answer: White or yellow; modern major tournaments typically use optic yellow
90. What is the maximum weight of a soccer ball? - Answer: 16 ounces.

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How the Sports Records Were Checked

Records and “firsts” are the fastest part of a sports quiz to go stale, so this page was rebuilt in September 2026 using league and governing-body sources. The NBA now lists Boston alone at the top with 18 championships, the Copa América record belongs to Argentina with 16 titles, and the Boston Athletic Association identifies Bobbi Gibb as the first woman to run the Boston Marathon.

I also checked historical claims against World Athletics, Wimbledon, and MLB.

More Trivia to Play

Keep going with football trivia, basketball trivia, baseball trivia, or the full 700-question challenge.

Looking for another round? Browse the Sports trivia topic guide for related quizzes with answers.

About this quiz

Site editor: Ellie Simons. Read our Trivia Methodology to learn how questions are researched and updated. Page last updated: September 26, 2026. Report an error.