78 Fun Facts About Sports Trivia 2023

Which team won Super Bowl LVII in February 2023?

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35 on Harrison Butker's field goal with eight seconds left, the first Super Bowl to pit two brothers, Travis and Jason Kelce, against each other.

Who was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl LVII?

Patrick Mahomes, playing the second half on a re-aggravated high ankle sprain, threw three touchdown passes and won his second Super Bowl MVP award.

In which US state was Super Bowl LVII played?

State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, hosted the game; the venue had also staged Super Bowls XLII and XLIX.

Which franchise won its first-ever World Series in 2023?

The Texas Rangers, founded in 1961 as the second Washington Senators, won their first title after losing the 2010 and 2011 Series.

Which club lost the 2023 World Series, the third ever played between two wild-card teams?

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost in five games; the only earlier all-wild-card Series were 2002 (Angels–Giants) and 2014 (Giants–Royals).

Which team won its first NBA championship in 2023, after 47 seasons in the league?

The Denver Nuggets beat the Heat in five games for their first title since joining the NBA from the ABA in 1976.

Who was the unanimous choice for 2023 NBA Finals MVP?

Nikola Jokić took all 11 votes after averaging 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists while shooting 58 percent from the field.

The Miami Heat reached the 2023 NBA Finals as which playoff seed?

They lost their first play-in game to Atlanta, beat Chicago in the second, and became only the second eighth seed ever to reach the Finals after the 1999 Knicks.

Which team won the 2023 Stanley Cup, its first, in only its sixth NHL season?

The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers four games to one, the first Final since 2018 in which neither club had previously won the Cup.

Who won the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup?

Spain beat England 1–0 in the final, Olga Carmona scoring the only goal in the 29th minute for the country's first Women's World Cup title.

Which two countries co-hosted the 2023 Women's World Cup?

Australia and New Zealand shared the hosting, the first FIFA World Cup of any kind spread across two confederations: Australia plays in the AFC, New Zealand in the OFC.

How many teams played at the 2023 Women's World Cup, up from 24 in 2019?

The field grew to 32 teams, matching the men's tournament size, and produced debuts for eight nations including Morocco and the Philippines.

Which nation became the first to win the Rugby World Cup four times, in 2023?

South Africa beat New Zealand in the final for a record fourth title, the first champion ever to have lost a pool match (to Ireland).

Which All Blacks captain became the first player ever sent off in a Rugby World Cup final, in 2023?

Sam Cane's yellow card for a high tackle on Jesse Kriel was upgraded to red by the bunker review in the first half, the first red card in a World Cup final.

Who beat host nation India in the final of the 2023 Cricket World Cup?

Australia won by six wickets with seven overs to spare, their sixth title, ending India's run of ten straight wins in the tournament.

The 2023 Cricket World Cup final was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in which Indian city?

The Narendra Modi Stadium is in Ahmedabad, Gujarat; with a capacity of about 132,000 it was the world's largest cricket ground when it hosted the 2023 final.

Which Australian was Player of the Match in both the 2023 World Test Championship and World Cup finals?

Travis Head made 163 in the World Test Championship final and 137 in the World Cup final, weeks after a broken hand had kept him out of the first five group matches.

What was the result of the 2023 men's Ashes series in England?

Drawn 2–2: England won the third and fifth Tests after losing the first two, and Stuart Broad took the final wicket with the last ball he ever bowled in Test cricket.

Who won the 2023 Masters by four strokes?

Jon Rahm won by four shots despite a four-putt double bogey on the first hole on Thursday, on what would have been Seve Ballesteros's 66th birthday.

Who became the first LIV Golf member to win a major, at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill?

Brooks Koepka won by two shots for his fifth major and third PGA Championship, a total matched in the stroke-play era only by Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

What did club pro Michael Block do in the final round of the 2023 PGA Championship?

Michael Block made the only hole-in-one of the week, acing the par-3 15th on Sunday alongside Rory McIlroy, and his tie for 15th earned a return invitation for 2024.

Who won the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, one shot ahead of Rory McIlroy?

Wyndham Clark finished at 10 under for his first major title; he had never placed better than 75th in a major and had missed the cut in his two previous U.S. Opens.

Who won the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool by six shots?

Brian Harman, a left-hander from Georgia, finished 13 under to win by six shots; his previous PGA Tour win had come at the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship.

The 2023 Ryder Cup was staged at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, near which European capital?

Marco Simone sits in Guidonia Montecelio, just outside Rome; Europe won 16½–11½ after sweeping the opening foursomes 4–0 on Friday morning.

Who captained Europe to victory in the 2023 Ryder Cup?

Luke Donald was appointed in August 2022 after Henrik Stenson was stripped of the captaincy for joining LIV Golf, and led Europe to a 16½–11½ win.

How did the 2023 Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesín end?

It finished 14–14, the first tie in the event's history, and Europe retained the trophy as holders, Carlota Ciganda winning the point that guaranteed it.

How many of the 22 Grands Prix did Max Verstappen win during the 2023 Formula One season?

Max Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races, including a record ten in a row, stood on the podium 21 times, and clinched the title in the Qatar sprint with six rounds to spare.

Which team won every 2023 Formula One Grand Prix except one?

Red Bull Racing won 21 of the 22 races, a 95.45 percent strike rate; Carlos Sainz's Ferrari victory in Singapore was the only one they missed.

Who ended Novak Djokovic's four-year reign at Wimbledon by winning the 2023 men's final in five sets?

Carlos Alcaraz won 1–6, 7–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–4 for his second major, the first Wimbledon men's title by a player outside the Big Four since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.

At Wimbledon 2023, Markéta Vondroušová became the first women's champion to be what?

Unseeded and ranked 42nd, Markéta Vondroušová beat Ons Jabeur in the final to become the lowest-ranked Wimbledon women's champion since WTA rankings began in 1975.

How many men's singles Grand Slam titles had Novak Djokovic won after the 2023 US Open?

His 2023 US Open win was his 24th major, three of the four that year; at 36 he was the oldest US Open men's champion of the Open Era, passing Ken Rosewall.

Who won the 2023 US Open women's singles, her first Grand Slam title?

Coco Gauff came from a set down to win her first major at 19, the first American teenager to take the title since Serena Williams in 1999.

Who won her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 Australian Open, beating Elena Rybakina in the final?

Aryna Sabalenka won 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 for her first major; Rybakina's run to the final made her the first Kazakhstani player of either sex to enter the top ten.

Iga Świątek defended her French Open title in 2023 by beating which Czech player in the final?

Karolína Muchová, in her first major final, lost 6–2, 5–7, 6–4; Świątek became the first woman to retain the title since Justine Henin in 2007.

Who won the 2023 Tour de France for the second year running?

Jonas Vingegaard led Tadej Pogačar by just ten seconds after two weeks, then won the stage-16 time trial by 1:38 and the race by 7:29.

Which horse won the 2023 Kentucky Derby?

Mage, a 15–1 shot ridden by Javier Castellano, won by a length; it was only his second career victory after a maiden win.

The start of the 2023 Grand National was delayed by 14 minutes after protests by which group?

Animal Rising activists breached the Aintree course and over 100 were arrested, pushing the start back 14 minutes before Corach Rambler won.

Who won the 2023 Indianapolis 500 with a pass on the final restart, half a lap from the finish?

Josef Newgarden, a two-time series champion, passed Marcus Ericsson on the final lap after a one-lap shootout restart, ending an 0-for-11 record at the Speedway.

How many miles did the 2023 Daytona 500, the longest ever run, cover?

It ran 530 miles: two overtime restarts pushed the race to 212 laps, 30 miles past the scheduled 500, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won.

Which school won the 2023 NCAA men's basketball championship, its fifth title?

UConn beat San Diego State 76–59 for a fifth title, the Aztecs having become the first Mountain West team ever to reach a Final Four.

Who was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 NCAA women's Final Four?

Angel Reese had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the final as LSU's 102 points against Iowa set a record for a women's championship game.

Which country won the 2023 World Baseball Classic, beating the United States 3–2 in the final?

Japan won a record third title, unbeaten through the tournament, with Shohei Ohtani striking out Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out.

Shohei Ohtani's December 2023 contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers was worth how much over ten years?

The deal was worth $700 million, with $680 million deferred without interest until 2034–2043, the largest contract in professional sports history at the time.

In 2023 Ronald Acuña Jr. became the first MLB player with 40 home runs and how many stolen bases in one season?

Ronald Acuña Jr. stole 73 bases with 41 homers, the first 40–70 season in MLB history and a modern-era Braves steals record, and was the unanimous NL MVP.

Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest in January 2023 during a game against which team?

The Bills–Cincinnati Bengals Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati was abandoned after Hamlin collapsed following a tackle; he returned to play for Buffalo the following season.

Which quarterback announced on February 1, 2023 that he was retiring "for good"?

Tom Brady, who had unretired 40 days after a first announcement in February 2022, confirmed his retirement exactly a year later after 23 seasons and seven Super Bowl wins.

Which quarterback's 2023 season ended with a ruptured Achilles on his fourth snap for the Jets?

Aaron Rodgers, acquired from Green Bay that April, tore his Achilles on his fourth snap against Buffalo in the Jets' Monday night opener on September 11.

Whom did the Carolina Panthers select first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City?

Bryce Young, Alabama's 2021 Heisman winner, went first after Carolina traded up with the Bears, giving up receiver D.J. Moore and a haul of picks.

Which team drafted 7-foot-4 French phenom Victor Wembanyama first overall in 2023?

He went on to win Rookie of the Year, following Tim Duncan and David Robinson as franchise-defining big men in San Antonio.

Which team selected Connor Bedard first overall in the 2023 NHL entry draft?

The Chicago Blackhawks won the draft lottery and took Bedard, the first WHL player ever granted exceptional-player status, who had been drafted into junior hockey at 15.

Lionel Messi's first trophy with Inter Miami came in the 2023 Leagues Cup final on penalties against which club?

Inter Miami beat Nashville SC 10–9 on penalties after a 1–1 draw; in the eleventh round the goalkeepers faced each other and Drake Callender scored, then saved.

How many Ballons d'Or had Lionel Messi won after collecting the 2023 award?

Messi's total reached 8 with the 2023 award, the first Ballon d'Or ever won by a player at a club outside Europe, and his third different club after Barcelona and PSG.

Who won the 2023 Ballon d'Or Féminin after lifting both the Champions League and the World Cup that year?

Aitana Bonmatí, the Barcelona midfielder, also won the Golden Ball as player of the tournament at the World Cup and was UEFA Women's Player of the Year.

Manchester City completed the treble by beating which club 1–0 in the 2023 Champions League final?

Rodri's 68th-minute goal beat Inter Milan in Istanbul for City's first European Cup, completing only the second English men's treble after United's in 1999.

How many Premier League goals did Erling Haaland score in 2022–23, a single-season record?

Erling Haaland scored 36 in 35 appearances in his debut English season, beating the 34 shared by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole in 42-game seasons.

Which club won its first Serie A title in 33 years in 2023?

Napoli's previous Scudetto had come with Diego Maradona in 1990; the 2022–23 title was clinched at Udinese with five games to spare.

Which club owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney won the 2023 National League to rejoin the Football League?

Wrexham won the 2022–23 National League with 111 points, the first of three straight promotions, a feat no club in England's top five tiers had managed before.

Cristiano Ronaldo began 2023 by joining which Saudi club?

Al Nassr announced the signing on 30 December 2022 on a deal reported at about €200 million a year, and Benzema, Neymar and dozens more followed to the Saudi Pro League.

Which country won the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, its first title, without losing a game?

Germany went 8–0, beating Serbia 83–77 in the final in Manila, while the United States lost the bronze-medal game to Canada and finished fourth.

Who won the women's 100 m at the 2023 World Championships in a championship-record 10.65 seconds?

Sha'Carri Richardson ran 10.65, a championship record, from lane nine after reaching the final only as a fastest loser from the semi-finals.

Kelvin Kiptum set a marathon world record of 2:00:35 in 2023 at which race?

Kiptum ran 2:00:35 in Chicago, 34 seconds under Eliud Kipchoge's mark; the record was ratified five days before Kiptum died in a car crash in February 2024.

Where did Tigst Assefa break the women's marathon world record by over two minutes in 2023?

Assefa's 2:11:53 in Berlin took more than two minutes off Brigid Kosgei's record, on the day Eliud Kipchoge won the men's race there a fifth time.

Who won the 2023 Boston Marathon, successfully defending his title?

Evans Chebet won in 2:05:54 for his third straight World Marathon Major (Boston and New York 2022, Boston 2023), while Eliud Kipchoge was only sixth on his Boston debut.

Faith Kipyegon won two golds at the 2023 World Championships: the 1500 m and which other event?

She had already broken three world records that summer, at 1500 m, the mile and 5000 m.

Whose alpine World Cup wins record did Mikaela Shiffrin pass with her 87th win in 2023?

Ingemar Stenmark's mark of 86 had stood since 1989; Shiffrin's 87th win came in a slalom at Åre in March 2023.

Simone Biles returned to competition in 2023 and won her sixth world all-around title in which city?

Antwerp had also hosted the 2013 championships where Biles won her first world title; a decade later she took a sixth all-around crown there.

Léon Marchand set a world record of 4:02.50 at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in which event?

Marchand's 4:02.50 in the 400 m individual medley at Fukuoka broke Michael Phelps's 2008 record of 4:03.84, coached by Bob Bowman, who had guided Phelps.

A women's volleyball match at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium in August 2023 drew a record crowd of how many?

The 'Volleyball Day in Nebraska' crowd of 92,003 for Nebraska against Omaha was claimed as the largest ever to watch a women's sporting event.

The 2023 Netball World Cup, the first held in Africa, was staged in which city?

Cape Town's International Convention Centre hosted the tournament, where the Diamonds beat England 61–45 in the final for a 12th title and the hosts finished sixth.

Which NFL legend and civil rights activist died in May 2023, aged 87?

Jim Brown, the Cleveland fullback who led the league in rushing in eight of his nine seasons, retired after 1965 to act and became a prominent civil rights activist.

Which famously combustible college basketball coach died on November 1, 2023, aged 83?

Bob Knight won three national titles at Indiana (1976, 1981, 1987), coached the 1984 US Olympic team to gold, and famously threw a chair across the court in 1985.

Which golfer in 2023 became the first since 1951 to win her LPGA Tour professional debut?

Rose Zhang won the Mizuho Americas Open in a playoff days after turning professional, the first winner on debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951, having just won a second NCAA individual title.

Who won the 2023 Giro d'Italia, becoming the first Slovenian to take the race?

Primož Roglič won his fourth Grand Tour, overturning Geraint Thomas's lead in the penultimate day's mountain time trial despite a dropped chain; Evenepoel had left in pink after stage 9 with COVID-19.

Which American rider won the 2023 Vuelta a España?

Sepp Kuss led a Jumbo–Visma podium sweep, finishing ahead of two teammates who had won that year's Tour and Giro, the first American Grand Tour winner since Chris Horner's 2013 Vuelta.

Which club beat Fiorentina in the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final?

West Ham United beat Fiorentina 2–1 in Prague, Jarrod Bowen scoring in the 90th minute for the club's first major trophy since the 1980 FA Cup.

Which city hosted the 2023 Pan American Games, the first ever held in Chile?

Santiago hosted from 20 October to 5 November 2023, with the mascot Fiu, a many-colored rush tyrant, chosen by online poll in 2021.

Which Brazilian club won its first Copa Libertadores in 2023, beating Boca Juniors at the Maracanã?

Fluminense beat Boca 2–1 after extra time on 4 November, John Kennedy scoring the winner, and went on to the 2023 and 2025 FIFA Club World Cups.

Who won the 2023 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible?

Luca Brecel beat Mark Selby 18–15, the first world champion from mainland Europe, in a final where Selby made the first maximum break ever compiled in a Crucible final.