Every midnight, a fresh Connections: Soccer Edition puzzle arrives, challenging players to sort sixteen soccer‑related words into four distinct groups. The game, launched in anticipation of the 2026 World Cup, asks participants to spot shared themes ranging from on‑field tactics to historic milestones.
The Mechanics of the Game
Each puzzle presents four color‑coded categories — Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple — each representing a different level of difficulty. Players must identify the common thread that links four of the sixteen words, a task that can range from straightforward to fiendishly subtle.
For the July 9 edition, the Yellow category hints at off‑the‑ball movement, the Green category points to moments missed in World Cup penalty shootouts, the Blue category ties to elements associated with a shootout, and the Purple category revolves around a blank that completes a phrase involving "time". The author supplies a single keyword for each category: JOG, HAVERTZ, TAKER and FULL.
The solutions follow the same pattern. Yellow’s answers are RUN, WALK, PRESS and JOG, while Green’s are BAGGIO, HAVERTZ, SIX and WADDLE. Blue’s set includes TAKER, SUDDEN DEATH, CENTER‑CIRCLE and GOALKEEPER, and Purple’s completes the phrase with HALF, FULL, EXTRA and ADDED.
Behind the Puzzles
Will Jeanes, a senior editor at The Athletic, curates the daily challenges. His writing often digs into soccer history and statistics, weaving factual depth into the game’s wordplay. Jeanes notes that the next puzzle will drop at midnight in each player’s local time zone, keeping the rhythm of anticipation alive.
The Athletic hosts the puzzle on its platform, offering a dedicated space for fans to test their knowledge and share strategies. The game’s blend of linguistic dexterity and soccer lore makes it a unique daily ritual for enthusiasts tracking the road to the 2026 World Cup.