The daily brain‑teaser that rides the World Cup wave
Every morning, a new Connections: Soccer Edition puzzle appears, challenging players to sort a set of sixteen words into four distinct groups. The game, launched in anticipation of the 2026 tournament, blends football trivia with the familiar Connections mechanic of spotting hidden relationships.
Puzzle No. 24, scheduled for July 4, 2026, carries a difficulty rating of four out of five, signalling a moderate but rewarding challenge for enthusiasts.
How the game works
Players receive sixteen words and must identify four categories that link them together. Each category is colour‑coded — Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple — mirroring the classic Connections format, but with a football twist that references teams, tournaments and soccer terminology.
The creator behind the series, Will Jeanes, a senior editor at The Athletic who specialises in soccer history and statistics, curates the clues and ensures the word sets feel both familiar and fresh.
Hints for today’s puzzle
For the Yellow category, the theme revolves around a phrase that can precede the word “ROUND OF 32”. The Green tier points to a surname that appears in a famous footballing family, while the Blue set is built around a term that often follows “INTER”. Finally, the Purple group is anchored by a word that can be paired with “BOLIVIA” in a well‑known expression.
The full answers to each category are listed at the bottom of the article for those who prefer to check their work after attempting the puzzle.
Will Jeanes encourages readers to share their scores and strategies in the comments, fostering a community of soccer‑savvy puzzlers.
The next puzzle will drop at midnight in each reader’s local time zone, continuing the daily rhythm that ties the game to the build‑up of the 2026 World Cup.