Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Thursday, August 13, 2026

Updated: Thursday, August 13, 2026 · Hints reviewed by Omer Liban · New puzzle daily — free from The Athletic. · Puzzle editor: Will Jeanes.

This page has every level of help for the Connections: Soccer Edition puzzle of Thursday, August 13, 2026: 3 spoiler-free hint tiers that narrow things down step by step, followed by the complete answers with explanations — each behind its own tap-to-reveal card.

Stuck on today's Soccer Edition? Work the tiers below exactly like regular Connections — one answer per group, then the themes, then the full explained solution — revealing only what you choose. (Yes, it's the football one — 'soccer' is just the branding.)

Connections: Soccer Edition is The Athletic's football version of Connections — four colour-coded groups from easiest 🟡 yellow to trickiest 🟣 purple, all about the beautiful game: players, clubs, competitions, moments. Free to play.

Soccer Connections hints (August 13, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “PACEY”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “TACTICS”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “ATLAS”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “SPEED”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Word to describe a quick player”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Worked on in training”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Mexican clubs”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Played in all of the first 15 premier league seasons”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Word to describe a quick player”, and its four answers are: PACEY, FAST, SWIFT, RAPID.

Soccer Connections answers — August 13, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Word to describe a quick player”. The answers: PACEY, FAST, SWIFT, RAPID.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Worked on in training”. The answers: TACTICS, FITNESS, SKILLS, MOVES.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Mexican clubs”. The answers: ATLAS, TOLUCA, PACHUCA, AMÉRICA.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Played in all of the first 15 premier league seasons”. The answers: SPEED, CAMPBELL, BUTT, JAMES.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is a killer because each of these words is actually a player's last name from teams that competed in all 15 of the Premier League's inaugural seasons (1992-93 through 2006-07)—we're talking Gary Speed, Sol Campbell, Nicky Butt, and David James. The sneaky part is that "SPEED," "BUTT," and "JAMES" are all common English words, so your brain immediately tries to slot them into the yellow group with PACEY, FAST, SWIFT, and RAPID as synonyms for quick players. Meanwhile, "CAMPBELL" looks like it has nothing to do with soccer, which actually works in the puzzle's favor by being the least tempting false lead. The blue group (Mexican clubs like ATLAS and PACHUCA) is relatively straightforward once you know your Liga MX, but AMÉRICA is genuinely tricky because it's also a common English word that could confuse you into thinking it belongs elsewhere.

Next in today's routine: Today's Puzzle Answers → · every game's answers on one page. New puzzle daily — free from The Athletic. Bookmark this page for tomorrow's hints. Or play Soccer Connections on the official site.

More of today's puzzles

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Soccer Connections — common questions

What is Connections: Soccer Edition?

The Athletic's football version of Connections, launched in June 2026: sixteen answers, four hidden groups, all of it football — players, clubs, competitions, kits, iconic moments. Free to play, and separate from the sports edition.

Is Soccer Connections about football?

Yes — 'soccer' is the branding of The Athletic's US newsroom, but the puzzles are thoroughly football: Champions League history, World Cup winners, grounds and managers all feature.

What do the colours mean in Soccer Connections?

Same as every Connections: yellow is the easiest group, then green, then blue, and purple the trickiest — typically wordplay or a link designed to catch fans out.

Previous Soccer Connections puzzles

Full Soccer Connections archive (109 puzzles) → · How to play Connections: Soccer Edition →