Ball IQFC Basel Quiz
Free FC Basel quiz with explained answers — from St. Jakob-Park and the Champions League nights to Mohamed Salah, Xherdan Shaqiri and the talent factory.
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easy
What is the official name of the stadium FC Basel moved into in 2001?
WhySt. Jakob-Park opened on 15 March 2001, built on the site of the old St. Jakob Stadium it replaced. -
easy
Who scored the late winner as Basel beat Chelsea 1-0 at St. Jakob-Park in November 2013?
WhySalah struck late on 26 November 2013 to complete a group-stage double over Chelsea — two months later he joined them. -
medium
Which Scottish club did Basel eliminate in Champions League qualifying in 2002?
WhyBasel lost 3-1 at Celtic Park but won 2-0 at home on 28 August 2002 to go through 3-3 on away goals. -
medium
In which country was Ivan Rakitic born?
WhyRakitic was born in Rheinfelden, Switzerland, to Croatian parents, and joined Basel's youth academy as a boy. -
hard
Which country beat Switzerland 1-0 in the opening match of UEFA Euro 2008?
WhyThe Czech Republic spoiled the co-hosts' opening night in Basel on 7 June 2008. -
medium
Xherdan Shaqiri rejoined Basel in August 2024 from which club?
WhyShaqiri came home after three seasons with Chicago Fire in MLS, and inspired Basel's title win that season. -
medium
Basel signed Mohamed Salah in 2012 from which club?
WhySalah signed a four-year deal from El Mokawloon in April 2012, with the Egyptian league suspended after the Port Said disaster. -
hard
Which defender scored the 93rd-minute goal at St. Jakob-Park on 13 May 2006 that decided the Swiss title and sparked a pitch invasion?
WhyFilipescu turned in a cross from the right after Basel failed to clear, with Florian Stahel providing the delivery. -
medium
In which year did Gigi Oeri become president of FC Basel?
WhyOeri joined the board as a patron in 1999 and served as president from 2006 until 2012, the era in which Basel became Switzerland's dominant club. -
medium
Who took over the majority of shares in FC Basel Holding AG from Bernhard Burgener in May 2021?
WhyDegen, a former Basel player, bought out Burgener in May 2021 before selling part of his stake to fellow board members. -
hard
What nationality was Helmut Benthaus, who arrived at Basel in 1965 as player-coach and stayed for seventeen years?
WhyThe German shaped Basel's great late-1960s and 1970s side before leaving for VfB Stuttgart in 1982. -
medium
Which two players scored Basel's goals in the 2-1 win over Manchester United on 7 December 2011?
WhyStreller and Alexander Frei scored one apiece either side of half-time; Phil Jones replied for United. -
medium
Breel Embolo left Basel in 2016 to join which club?
WhySchalke confirmed Embolo's signing on a five-year deal in June 2016, in one of the largest sales in Basel's history. -
hard
Who was Basel's player-coach when they won their first Swiss championship?
WhyBader ran the team from within it, and his side lost only once in twenty-six games on the way to the title. -
medium
Massimo Ceccaroni, who spent virtually his whole career at Basel, played mainly in which position?
WhyCeccaroni played at the back for Basel from 1987 to 2002, a one-club loyalty that made him a cult figure on the terraces. -
medium
In which year did FC Basel win their first Swiss championship?
WhyBasel finished four points clear of Young Boys in 1953 for the first league title in the club's sixty-year history. -
hard
FC Basel was founded after a newspaper advertisement calling for a football team was placed by whom?
WhyGeldner's advert in the 12 November 1893 Basler paper asked interested men to meet the following Wednesday — eleven turned up and founded the club. -
medium
Alexander Frei returned to Switzerland to sign for Basel in 2009 from which club?
WhyFrei left Borussia Dortmund in July 2009 to rejoin his boyhood club Basel on a three-year contract. -
medium
Basel led Liverpool 3-0 at half-time at home in November 2002. How did the Champions League match finish?
WhyLiverpool struck back three times after the break on 12 November 2002, but the draw was enough to send Basel through at the Reds' expense. -
hard
Basel first watched Mohamed Salah in the flesh in a March 2012 friendly against which side?
WhySalah came on at half-time for Egypt's under-23s at the Stadion Rankhof and scored twice in a 4-3 win; Basel invited him to train with them that week. -
medium
Granit Xhaka left Basel in 2012 to join which club?
WhyBasel announced in May 2012 that Xhaka had agreed terms with Lucien Favre's Borussia Mönchengladbach, for a fee estimated around 8.5 million euros. -
medium
Which architecture firm designed St. Jakob-Park?
WhyHerzog & de Meuron are Basel's own — the local firm went on to design the Allianz Arena and Beijing's Bird's Nest. -
hard
Basel's 2002 championship was the club's first league title since which year?
WhyBasel had gone twenty-two years without a title before Christian Gross's side won the 2002 double. -
medium
Basel knocked out which English club on penalties in the 2013 Europa League quarter-final?
WhyThe tie finished 4-4 on aggregate and Basel won the shootout 4-1 at St. Jakob-Park, with Emmanuel Adebayor blazing over. -
medium
Basel's 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge in September 2013 came in the first Champions League game of whose second spell as Chelsea manager?
WhyMourinho had just returned to Chelsea for his second spell, and Basel beat him 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in his first Champions League match back, on 18 September 2013. -
hard
At the end of which season did Marco Streller retire from professional football?
WhyStreller hung up his boots after the 2014-15 campaign, having captained Basel through the middle of their title run. -
medium
Christian Gross, appointed Basel manager in 1999, had earlier become the first Swiss to manage in which league?
WhyGross had a short, unhappy spell in England's top flight from November 1997 to September 1998, before rebuilding his reputation at Basel. -
medium
Which manager led Basel to the 2024-25 Swiss championship?
WhyCelestini took over in October 2023 with Basel bottom of the table and turned them into champions within eighteen months. -
hard
Yann Sommer's 2014 move from Basel to the Bundesliga saw him replace which player who had just left for Barcelona?
WhyTer Stegen's 2014 move to Barcelona opened the door, and Sommer was signed from Basel to take his place. -
medium
Which manager led Basel to the 2013 Europa League semi-final?
WhyYakin took charge in October 2012 with the season stuttering, then drove Basel to a league title and a European semi-final. -
medium
Which club ended Basel's run of consecutive Swiss league titles by winning the 2017-18 championship?
WhyYoung Boys broke Basel's eight-year grip in 2017-18 and went on to dominate the Super League themselves. -
hard
Basel striker Josef Hügi scored a hat-trick in Switzerland's 7-5 defeat in the 1954 World Cup quarter-final against which country?
WhyIn searing heat at Lausanne, Switzerland led 3-0 before Austria won 7-5 — Hügi's hat-trick came in a losing side. -
medium
On 13 May 2006, which club won the Swiss title with a 93rd-minute goal at St. Jakob-Park, triggering a pitch invasion by Basel fans?
WhyA 1-1 draw would have crowned Basel; Zürich's stoppage-time winner took the title instead, and the riot that followed became known as the 'Disgrace of Basel'. -
easy
Basel academy graduate Ivan Rakitic represented which national team at senior level?
WhyThough raised in Switzerland, Rakitic was born to Croatian parents and chose to play for Croatia at senior level. -
hard
Who scored the 89th-minute winner as Basel beat Manchester United 1-0 at St. Jakob-Park in November 2017?
WhyLang converted Raoul Petretta's cross from close range on 22 November 2017 to stun United late on. -
easy
By which Swiss-German nickname is FC Basel known?
WhyIt's a compound word in the local Swiss-German dialect that fans have used for the club since its earliest days. -
easy
Which section of St. Jakob-Park is the traditional home of Basel's ultras?
WhyThe Muttenzerkurve is the stadium's east curve, named for the direction of the nearby town of Muttenz, and is the heart of Basel's ultras scene. -
hard
What was the name of FC Basel's home ground in the club's early decades, before the move to St. Jakob?
WhyThe Landhof, in the Kleinbasel quarter, served as Basel's ground for decades before the St. Jakob era began. -
easy
Xherdan Shaqiri left Basel in 2012 to join which club?
WhyBasel announced in February 2012 that Shaqiri had agreed to join Bayern Munich for the following season, in a deal reported at around 11.6 million euros. -
easy
By what affectionate nickname do locals know FC Basel's stadium?
Why'Joggeli' is the Basel-dialect diminutive of Jakob — roughly the equivalent of calling it 'Jake'. -
hard
Fabian Frei returned to Basel in 2018 after a spell at which German club?
WhyFrei spent two and a half seasons at Mainz 05 from 2015 before Basel brought him home in January 2018. -
easy
In which year was FC Basel founded?
WhyEleven men met at a Basel restaurant on 15 November 1893 to found Fussball Club Basel — the year survives in the club's full name, FC Basel 1893. -
easy
Which pair of colours has FC Basel worn since its founding?
WhyRed and blue were chosen on day one, taken from the colours of the Basler Ruder-Club that several of the founders belonged to. -
hard
Thorsten Fink left Basel in October 2011 to take charge of which club?
WhyFink departed for Hamburger SV having won two league titles and a cup in a little over two years at Basel. -
easy
FC Basel are based in which country?
WhyBasel sits in north-west Switzerland on the Rhine, at the corner where the Swiss, French and German borders meet. -
easy
Basel's 2-1 win over Manchester United on 7 December 2011 eliminated United at which stage of the Champions League?
WhyThe St. Jakob-Park win settled the final group place: Basel went through to the last 16 and United dropped into the Europa League.
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What the Basel quiz covers
Every question is written and checked by football fans — soccer, if you're reading this in the US — across the topics that decide a real Basel expert:
Club history
Founding, golden eras and the moments that shaped Basel.
Players & legends
Cult heroes and record-breakers, past and present.
Managers
The bosses in the dugout and the trophies they won.
Trophies & honours
Every title, cup and big European night that counts.
Records & stats
Appearances, goals, transfers and all-time bests.
Iconic moments
Famous games, comebacks and unforgettable goals.
This is one set from a bank of thousands of questions spanning 72 clubs, every major league and eight decades of football.
How the Basel quiz is checked
Every question above was written by hand and verified before it went live.
All 46 Basel questions were checked twice before publication — once against the claim the question makes, and once against the wrong answers offered beside it. A question whose wrong options can be dismissed without knowing any football is not really a question, so those get rewritten or dropped rather than padded out. Anything that could not be confirmed was removed rather than guessed, which is why some sets are smaller than others. Every one of them carries a written explanation. Spot something wrong and tell us — corrections from players are how the bank stays accurate.
Basel quiz — FAQ
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About the Basel quiz
FC Basel were founded in 1893 and play in red and blue at St. Jakob-Park, the biggest stadium in Switzerland. This free Basel quiz covers the whole story: the rotblau, the Swiss title runs, the European nights that punched above the club's weight, and a talent factory that has sent player after player to the biggest leagues. If you know your Basel, this is your test.
Basel's reputation was built on European upsets and the players who made them. They knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League group stage with a 2-1 win at St. Jakob-Park in December 2011, and beat Chelsea home and away the following season. Above all they are a selling club with an eye for a talent: Mohamed Salah was signed in 2012 and sold on to Chelsea, while Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, Yann Sommer, Ivan Rakitić and Breel Embolo all passed through on their way to the top.
Expect questions on the Champions League nights, the Swiss title races, the managers and the players Basel launched. You'll be asked which English giant Basel beat in 2011, which club signed Salah from them, and what the club's colours are. Difficulty climbs from easy openers about the city and the stadium to genuinely hard deep cuts about specific European ties, transfers and seasons.
Every question comes with a short explained answer, so even a miss teaches you the detail that makes it stick. Play the sample set below free in your browser, no sign-up needed. The full Basel quiz — plus daily challenges, leaderboards and multiplayer — is in the Ball IQ app.
Ball IQ has 46 Basel questions — 11 easy, 21 medium and 14 hard.