The FIFA World Cup has officially kicked off, and excitement is already goal-ing through the roof! For the first time in history, a record 48 teams will battle it out on the pitch, competing in 104 edge-of-your-seat matches across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Talk about a real world-class hat-trick of hosts.
The World Cup isn’t just about what happens on the field—it’s also a goal-den opportunity for learning across the curriculum. In this blog, we’ve passed together a winning lineup of resources from LGfL, along with other fantastic (and free!) materials, to help you score big in the classroom.
Busy Things - World Cup Resources
To celebrate the World Cup, Busy Things has produced themed activities online, including:
Writing worksheets (match reports and favourite player profiles)
Colouring templates
Families can also download a FREE Football World Cup Activity Pack featuring football bingo, tournament trackers, match predictions, colouring pages and creative football challenges.Download the FREE Family Football World Cup Activity Pack
There are a number of authors in Reading Zone Live who use football and other sports as themes for their books.
BenLyttleton, a journalist, broadcaster, and award-winning science and sportswriter, discusses the popular 'Football School' series on 'Reading Zone Live'. The book is packed with awesome true stories, real science and fascinating facts.
'Yes, you might be talking about football, but actually you are learning about the world'
Dan Freedman, who, before becoming an author, was managing editor of The FA for 7 years, discusses the start of the Jamie Johnson series. With bullies at school and big problems at home threatening to destroy Jamie’s dream of becoming a top Premier League footballer.
'I write about sport because it is what I know and what I am passionate about, and what I am intrigued about'
Maths in the Real World
Maths in the Real WorldisatransitionresourceforKeyStages2-3.Theactivitiesareidealforuse eitherbeforeorafterthemovefromPrimarytoSecondary, and detaileddifferentiationensures thereissomethingfor all ability levels. Three of the sections are perfect to use during the World Cup -
Arenas and events; applying maths to planning and organising arena events.
J2e Tools can be used in a variety of ways, including: Designing a kit for your favourite team, or why not use the databases tool to do some real-time maths statistics - looking at points scored, goals scored, number of red cards, etc
Look in the resource library for some pre-made templates:
World Cup flags - research national flags and use findings to colour the flags
World Cup footballer - use JIT Paint to colour a footballer outline to match the researched team's strip
World Cup factfile - gather information about a chosen country and record key facts
World Cup 2026 poster - use digital tools to stamp the flags around the title
Mapmaker - find the World Cup countries
Use the Mapmaker online tool on the LGfL platform to locate the host countries and venues, and stadiums of the games, as well as locate competing countries
Mapmaker acts as a "digital twin" of the planet, allowing users to explore the Earth's surface using satellite and aerial imagery.
Using the 3D feature, zoom and rotate a map, and transition from a flat map to an immersive, ground-level view allows students to gain a realistic perspective and better understand the context of different areas as if they were physically there.
Adobe football templates
Using Adobe to teach the World Cup to blend sports enthusiasm with global geography, culture, data science, and digital literacy.
Match Preview Posters (Media Literacy & Language): Design a promotional poster.
Animate from Audio Player Interviews (Drama & Modern Languages): Use the "Animate from Audio" feature to pick a cartoon character, record themselves speaking as a famous player or coach
Country Fact Files (Geography & History): Create an interactive web page or poster showing a country's culture, food, geography, and footballing history.
FIFA Men's World Cup 2026 - assembly resources
The BBC Bitesize (and BBC Teach) FIFA World Cup assembly resources are free, pre-made digital packages designed for UK primary and secondary school teachers to run whole-school or class assemblies during the tournament
These resources use the World Cup to teach broader social values, citizenship, and global awareness.
The core components and themes typically featured in these assembly packs include:
Ready-to-Use Presentation Slides: Downloadable PowerPoints or interactive slide decks featuring colourful graphics, tournament facts, and map visuals.
Video Content: Short, engaging clips from BBC Sport, Newsround, or specialised BBC Teach animated series that highlight the host countries, the history of the tournament, or specific player stories.
Teacher Script & Notes: Fully written talking points for whoever is leading the assembly, requiring minimal prep time.
Reflection & Discussion Prompts: Thought-provoking questions at the end of the presentation to encourage student participation.
