The 2026 Football World Cup might be coming to an end, but football is ever popular in my house, so here are Four Football World Cup STEM Challenges for you to try this summer.
All the activities use very basic materials, and I’ve included free printable templates for the reaction time test and goalkeeper game. You’ll also find an online version of the goalie game and a calculator to work out how fast you can kick a football!
Grab some balls, a pen and paper and explore the world of football like never before.
World Cup Football STEM Challenges
Heavy or Light Balls
You’ll need
- A straw
- Chalk
- Different balls
Instructions
Find a few different balls to test, for example, a tennis ball, a football, and a table tennis ball. Take the balls outside and draw a goal line on the ground using chalk (or use a goal if you have one), and a start line about 2 metres from the goal line.
Place all the balls on the start line.
Count how many breaths it takes to push each ball across the goal line by blowing down a straw.
Put all the balls back at the start line and try to gently kick each one into the goal, using the same amount of force.
Questions
Which ball is easiest to move using just your breath?
Which ball moves the furthest when you kick it?
What’s going on?
Kids should notice that the heavier balls take more force to move than the lighter balls.
Reaction Time Test
Reaction time is important for football. The split second it takes for a player’s brain to process what’s happening and then move can be the difference between winning and losing a match.
You can test your reaction time with a ruler or my handy template.
How Fast?
The best shooters can kick a football at speeds up to 80mph! At this speed, a ball travels 10m in just 0.28 seconds! 0.28 seconds is about the same time it takes to blink!
Work out how fast you can kick with this easy activity.
You’ll need
- A football
- Tape measure
- Smartphone with a video
- Chalk or cones to make lines
Instructions
Find an open outdoor space.
Measure a start and finish point 10m apart.
Ask a friend to hold the phone with the start and finish line visible.
Kick the ball while the phone is recording, use slo-mo mode if you can.
Use the video to determine the time it takes for the ball to move between the two lines.
Use the calculator below to work out the speed of your kick.
Goal Kick Speed Calculator
Extension Tasks
Experiment with a stationary kick, a run up kick and using your dominant and non-dominant leg.
Penalty Shootout
Goalkeepers don't always have time to see which way a ball is going, so they have to make a decision which way to jump in a split second. This activity shows just how tricky making that choice can be.
Penalty Shootout Game
You'll need
- A coin
- A copy of my handy game printable.
- 2 players
- Pen or pencil
Instructions
Assign the role of striker and goalkeeper to each player.
Cut out the striker and goalkeeper squares and the goal.
The goalkeeper puts their square on one side of the goal while the striker flips the coin.
Heads - LEFT side of the goal
Tails - RIGHT side of the goal
If the goalie is on the correct side of the goal, it's a save!
Play 10 rounds to find out who wins.
I've created a paper and an online version of the game, so choose whichever suits you best!
More Football Themed Science Activities
Try one of my other football science activity ideas, including designing a superpowered football boot, and finding out why balls bounce!
Last Updated on July 16, 2026 by Emma Vanstone
