Every morning, as the countdown to the 2026 World Cup tightens, a new brain‑teaser lands on the desks of soccer enthusiasts across the globe.
The game, called Connections: Soccer Edition, challenges players to sort sixteen words or objects into four groups of four, each sharing a hidden commonality.
Players are given three chances to make a wrong guess before the puzzle ends, and each solution is unique, with categories colour‑coded from easy yellow to fiendish purple.
The July 10 puzzle: clues and categories
The hints for the July 10 edition tease four distinct themes: the Portuguese capital, a rising Norwegian striker, a notorious off‑field controversy, and a word that suggests abundance.
Solving those clues reveals a set of answers that span the tournament’s history: the host cities of the most recent European Championship final, the all‑time leading scorers in a single Premier League season, memorable soccer scandals, and members of the US Women’s National Team who have reached a century of caps.
Will Jeanes, the senior editor at The Athletic who curates the daily puzzle, explains that the exercise is meant to blend trivia with a dash of storytelling, giving fans a fresh way to engage with the sport as the World Cup approaches.
Whether you’re a casual follower or a seasoned analyst, the puzzle offers a compact snapshot of soccer’s global footprint, from the streets of Lisbon to the pitches of London, from the bustling cafés of Vienna to the historic arenas of Rome.
For those who missed the solution, the answers are now public, providing a neat wrap‑up of a competition that will soon unfold on the world’s biggest stage.