The 2026 World Cup may still be months away, but the excitement is already building through a new daily brain‑teaser that has captured the attention of soccer fans across the United States.
The Rules of Play
Connections: Soccer Edition challenges players to sort a set of sixteen clues into four distinct groups of four, each sharing a hidden commonality. Participants are granted three chances to mis‑step before the puzzle resets.
The latest edition, puzzle No. 23, is slated for release on July 3, 2026, and the game’s creator has seeded the solution with a handful of subtle hints: NEYMAR, POST, RABONA, and SCOTLAND.
The Answer Revealed
Those clues point to four themed categories: celebrated Brazilian icons, components of a goal, signature moves on the pitch, and references to the legendary Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The full set of answers reads like a miniature encyclopedia of modern soccer lore.
Famous Brazilian players — Pelé, Ronaldinho, Cafú and Neymar — form one quartet, while the structural pieces of a goal — net, post, crossbar and stanchion — make up another. The skill‑based category includes the elegant rabona, the deceptive Cruyff turn, the nutmeg and the flamboyant rainbow kick. Finally, terms associated with Sir Alex Ferguson such as “Fergie Time,” “Hair‑dryer treatment,” “Manchester United” and, of course, “Scotland” complete the puzzle.
Will Jeanes, the senior editor at The Athletic who curates the series, said the puzzles are designed to celebrate the sport’s rich vocabulary while giving fans a fun way to test their knowledge before the tournament begins.
The next puzzle will appear at midnight in each player’s local time zone, offering another chance to crack the code and claim bragging rights.