Math in the FIFA World Cup?
Forget textbooks, math is happening all around us! Today we are going to take a look at some of the math you can find surrounding the FIFA World Cup…even if you don’t like soccer.
In fact, let's start with geography. The 2026 World Cup is being hosted across three countries and 16 cities, making it the largest and most geographically spread-out World Cup in history.
What mathematical questions does that raise? How might travel between cities affect costs for teams and fans? What impact could it have on tourism, attendance, transportation, and scheduling? What else do you wonder?
Or maybe statistics are more your thing.
How many goals are typically scored in a World Cup match? Has scoring changed over time? What do averages, distributions, and trends tell us about how the game is played?
You can dive deeper here in soccer or you can start comparing the patterns you identify to the patterns in another sport your family is passionate about.
You might even be interested in tournament design. The World Cup uses both round-robin group play and single-elimination knockout rounds.
Why combine the two? What would happen if the entire tournament were single elimination? What if every team played every other team? How would that affect fairness, excitement, and the number of games required?
And then there's the ball itself.
The official 2026 World Cup ball, called the Trionda, was designed using ideas from geometry and physics. Unlike traditional soccer balls with many panels, the Trionda is built from just four curved panels inspired by a tetrahedron—a geometric solid made from four triangular faces. Scientists and engineers study how the shape, seams, texture, and symmetry of a ball affect the way it moves through the air. Even small changes can influence drag, flight paths, and whether a ball behaves predictably or swerves unexpectedly.
You don't need a World Cup ball to explore these ideas yourself.
Head outside and compare whatever balls you have available:
A soccer ball and a basketball
A volleyball and a playground ball
A kickball and a soccer ball
Kick them. Throw them. Roll them.
Which travels farther? Which bounces higher? Which is easier to control? Which curves the most? What do you notice about their size, texture, weight, and shape?
And remember
Math is wondering.
Math is noticing.
Math is experimenting.
The next time a topic is trending (a sports tournament, a movie, a video game, a concert tour, or a space mission) try asking:
What questions are hiding here?
