“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” player loses thousands on England football question
A contestant on the popular ITV quiz show *Who Wants to Be a Millionaire* had a tough moment after losing thousands on a football question about England. Sports trivia often comes up on the show, and in a January 2024 episode, host Jeremy Clarkson asked Neil Montero which team the England Three Lions had beaten in a FIFA World Cup. The choices were Brazil, Argentina, Italy, and Spain. Sadly, Neil picked the wrong answer, ending his chance to become just the second player since 2020 to win the £1,000,000 grand prize.
Fans of the Three Lions know the right answer is Argentina, as England beat them three times in World Cups, including a famous 1-0 quarter-final win on the way to their only World Cup title in 1966. But when Clarkson named the options, Neil thought Spain seemed most likely. He said, “Spain looks the most likely, because Spain have been good quite recently, but they haven’t always been great at football. Brazil, Italy, and Argentina have always been strong; Spain hasn’t always been. So, Spain feels like the one I’d lean towards, but I’m really not confident.”
He chose to use the “Ask The Audience” lifeline. Unfortunately, only 17% of the audience picked the correct answer, Argentina, while over half (52%) chose Spain. Neil had safely reached £32,000 and was going for £64,000. Because he went with Spain, he fell back to the £8,000 level, losing £24,000.
Despite the setback, Neil was happy to walk away with £8,000. He’s not the only one to lose big on a World Cup question. On the German version of the show, contestant Marc Offenbacher was doing well and had 12 correct answers out of 15. With two lifelines left, he was asked: “What is the most common final score in men’s FIFA World Cup finals? 1–0, 2–1, 3–1, or 4–2?”
Marc admitted he doesn’t watch football or sports, so this was a tough question for him. After using the 50:50 lifeline, which left options 4–2 and 2–1, he picked 2–1 after the audience didn’t help steer him right. The correct answer is 4–2, which has happened four times, including England’s 1966 win and France’s 2018 victory over Croatia. Marc was playing for €108,000 but, without a safety net, ended up with just €500 (£435)—a much smaller prize.
Both stories show how tricky football questions can be, even for smart and confident contestants!