The Golden Cup Caper
The Golden Cup has been stolen right before the big World Cup Final! The lock on the trophy room was kicked open with super strength. We have gathered the top players in the stadium, but one of them is secretly the thief. Use your soccer detective skills to solve the case!
Possible suspects
Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.
| Name | Signature Move | Trick Play | Shooting Style | Hair Type | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Header | Super Bicycle Kick | Hidden Smoke | Right Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Tommy Turf | Super Bicycle Kick | Flashy Shoes | Left Footed | Curly Green Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Toby Tackle | Rocket Shot | Loud Whistle | Left Footed | Spiky Blue Hair | Squeaky Toys |
| Sammy Sweep | Rocket Shot | Flashy Shoes | Right Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Ice Water Splash |
| Gaby Glove | Super Bicycle Kick | Fake Injury | Right Footed | Curly Green Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Kiki Goal | Super Bicycle Kick | Hidden Smoke | Right Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Squeaky Toys |
| Bella Boot | Lightning Dribble | Loud Whistle | Right Footed | Spiky Blue Hair | Ice Water Splash |
| Timmy Trophy | Lightning Dribble | Glitter Ball | Right Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Clara Corner | Super Bicycle Kick | Loud Whistle | Right Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Ice Water Splash |
| Rico Spin | Lightning Dribble | Fake Injury | Right Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Ice Water Splash |
| Nate Striker | Tornado Spin | Fake Injury | Right Footed | Curly Green Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Bobby Bench | Tornado Spin | Glitter Ball | Right Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Ollie Offside | Lightning Dribble | Hidden Smoke | Right Footed | Spiky Blue Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Sally Save | Rocket Shot | Glitter Ball | Right Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Wendy Winger | Super Bicycle Kick | Flashy Shoes | Right Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Maxie Midfield | Ghost Slide | Flashy Shoes | Left Footed | Curly Green Hair | Squeaky Toys |
| Zoe Zone | Rocket Shot | Glitter Ball | Left Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Harry Hatrick | Lightning Dribble | Hidden Smoke | Right Footed | Curly Green Hair | Ice Water Splash |
| Billy Bounce | Super Bicycle Kick | Fake Injury | Left Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Smell of Oranges |
| Leo Gold | Rocket Shot | Hidden Smoke | Right Footed | Curly Green Hair | Ice Water Splash |
| Penny Pass | Rocket Shot | Hidden Smoke | Left Footed | Bright Gold Hair | Smell of Oranges |
Rounding
The stadium radar gun tracked the thief fleeing the scene. The screen is old and can only show rounded speed numbers, but it helps us rule out some suspect tricks!
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Addition
The locker room manager counted all the extra practice balls. He added the new balls to the old ones to find out which foot the thief preferred.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Subtraction
We checked the giant bin of sideline snacks. After subtracting the missing juice boxes, we found a clue about what makes the thief lose their power.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Multiplication facts (1-12)
We looked at the rows of soccer cleats on the drying racks. Multiplying the number of shelves by the boots on each shelf gave us the clue about the thief's hair.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Division facts (1-12) — the last clue
The team divided up the sports drinks equally among all the players. Sharing them out left us with a key hint to solve this mystery.
First solve each problem. Then find each answer in the list below and cross that sentence out. One sentence will be left — that's exactly what the villain did!
Name the culprit
Choose the one suspect left standing.
Answer Key — The Golden Cup Caper
- Clue 1 (Rounding): "THE THIEF DOES NOT USE FLASHY SHOES"Round 175 to the nearest hundred = 200 (T) · Round 654 to the nearest hundred = 700 (S) · Round 3,859 to the nearest thousand = 4000 (F) · Round 64 to the nearest ten = 60 (O) · Round 2,783 to the nearest thousand = 3000 (U) · Round 760 to the nearest hundred = 800 (Y) · Round 503 to the nearest hundred = 500 (D) · Round 6,280 to the nearest thousand = 6000 (L) · Round 2,220 to the nearest thousand = 2000 (A) · Round 22 to the nearest ten = 20 (N) · Round 588 to the nearest hundred = 600 (H) · Round 66 to the nearest ten = 70 (I) · Round 378 to the nearest hundred = 400 (E)
- Clue 2 (Addition): "THE THIEF SHOT THE BALL RIGHT FOOTED"159 + 243 = 402 (T) · 679 + 307 = 986 (F) · 623 + 289 = 912 (G) · 368 + 550 = 918 (O) · 233 + 239 = 472 (R) · 424 + 359 = 783 (S) · 242 + 216 = 458 (E) · 166 + 106 = 272 (B) · 163 + 144 = 307 (D) · 157 + 89 = 246 (L) · 98 + 187 = 285 (H) · 280 + 340 = 620 (I) · 392 + 232 = 624 (A)
- Clue 3 (Subtraction): "THE THIEF FLED THE SMELL OF ORANGES"580 - 162 = 418 (T) · 871 - 399 = 472 (R) · 458 - 92 = 366 (S) · 655 - 134 = 521 (H) · 959 - 333 = 626 (N) · 664 - 309 = 355 (D) · 381 - 40 = 341 (F) · 723 - 380 = 343 (E) · 633 - 302 = 331 (G) · 350 - 119 = 231 (L) · 484 - 91 = 393 (M) · 616 - 45 = 571 (I) · 885 - 359 = 526 (A) · 415 - 26 = 389 (O)
- Clue 4 (Multiplication facts (1-12)): "WE FOUND BRIGHT GOLD HAIR AT THE NET"9 × 9 = 81 (W) · 1 × 5 = 5 (A) · 3 × 7 = 21 (F) · 12 × 10 = 120 (D) · 11 × 4 = 44 (R) · 7 × 8 = 56 (G) · 9 × 10 = 90 (B) · 1 × 12 = 12 (T) · 10 × 11 = 110 (L) · 1 × 1 = 1 (U) · 7 × 7 = 49 (I) · 11 × 1 = 11 (O) · 4 × 1 = 4 (E) · 6 × 4 = 24 (H) · 5 × 7 = 35 (N)
- Clue 5 (Division facts (1-12)): surviving statement (box 10) → Timmy Trophy10 ÷ 2 = 5 · 4 ÷ 4 = 1 · 6 ÷ 3 = 2 · 36 ÷ 12 = 3 · 72 ÷ 8 = 9 · 30 ÷ 5 = 6 · 7 ÷ 1 = 7 · 110 ÷ 10 = 11 · 56 ÷ 7 = 8 · 120 ÷ 10 = 12 · 36 ÷ 9 = 4
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 3 math
- Math topics
- Rounding, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division
- Reading level
- grades 3-4
- Theme
- The Golden Cup Caper — set in Golden Cup Arena
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects