A FIFA World Cup question proved to be worth £64,000 ($83,840) for one contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire after he correctly identified the continent that has hosted the tournament more often than any other. Faced with a potentially life-changing decision, the contestant relied on his knowledge of World Cup history and held his nerve to secure one of the biggest prizes of the night.Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? has long been one of Britain’s most recognisable television formats. Created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight, the ITV quiz show first aired in September 1998 and quickly became a global phenomenon, spawning versions in more than 130 countries. The format is simple but unforgiving: a single contestant must answer 15 multiple-choice general knowledge questions of increasing difficulty to reach the top prize of £1,000,000 ($1,310,000).Since 2018, the UK show has been fronted by Jeremy Clarkson, who took over for a 20th-anniversary revival produced by Stellify Media. His tenure has brought a sharper, high-intensity edge to the programme, along with the introduction of the “Ask the Host” lifeline, adding another layer of strategy for contestants facing high-pressure decisions.Sport has long been a staple of the quiz show’s toughest questions, and a recent episode produced another memorable football moment when Clarkson turned to the World Cup for a high-value question.The contestant was asked to identify which continent had hosted the most FIFA World Cup tournaments in history. The four available options were Africa, South America, Europe and Asia.While the question initially appeared to leave him uncertain, he quickly began working through the possibilities aloud.
How the contestant worked out the answer
The contestant reasoned that Africa had hosted the tournament only once, referring to South Africa’s staging of the 2010 World Cup.He then considered Asia, recalling that Japan and South Korea jointly hosted the competition in 2002, which represented the continent’s only World Cup as host.Turning to South America, he referenced Brazil’s hosting duties and also briefly considered Mexico before realising Mexico is part of North America rather than South America.Confident in his conclusion, he told Clarkson:“I’m pretty sure it’s Europe but I just need to work it out. Africa, it’s only been in once – South Africa in 2010 – Asia I think it’s been once in Japan and South Korea.“South America, it’s been in Mexico twice but Mexico doesn’t count in South America I don’t think. It’s been in Brazil in the most recent one.“But Europe’s in it multiple times. It’s definitely Europe. Final answer.”After a short pause, Clarkson confirmed that Europe was indeed the correct answer, securing the contestant a £64,000 ($83,840) payday.
Why Europe was the correct answer
Europe remains the most frequent host continent in FIFA World Cup history.The continent has staged the tournament 11 times since the inaugural competition in Uruguay in 1930.That total will increase again in 2030 when Spain and Portugal co-host the tournament alongside Morocco. Although Morocco represents Africa, the inclusion of Spain and Portugal means Europe will record its 12th World Cup hosting involvement.The contestant’s answer therefore reflected more than simple guesswork, instead drawing on a broad understanding of World Cup history spanning almost a century.
Another contestant was not so fortunate
While World Cup knowledge delivered a major reward for one contestant, football trivia has also produced costly mistakes on the franchise.A contestant on the German version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Marc Offenbacher, famously lost out on a six-figure prize after incorrectly answering a World Cup final question.Having successfully navigated the first 12 questions, Offenbacher was asked to identify the most common scoreline in men’s FIFA World Cup final history.The available answers were 1-0, 2-1, 3-1 and 4-2.Despite using lifelines and consulting an audience member, Offenbacher selected 2-1. The correct answer was 4-2, a scoreline that has occurred four times in World Cup finals, including England’s famous victory over West Germany in 1966 and France’s triumph over Croatia in 2018.The mistake proved costly. The question was worth £108,000 ($141,480), but because he had no safety net remaining, Offenbacher left with just £500 ($655).For the latest contestant, however, World Cup history produced a very different outcome. A calm assessment of football’s biggest tournament was enough to turn a difficult sporting question into a £64,000 ($83,840) success story.
