Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Sunday, August 23, 2026

Updated: Sunday, August 23, 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 Sunday, August 23, 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 23, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “MANCHESTER”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “MAINZ”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “FLOWERS”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “ROSE”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Locations of city football group clubs”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Teams coached by jürgen klopp”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Premier league-winning goalkeepers”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Managers new to the premier league this season”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Locations of city football group clubs”, and its four answers are: MANCHESTER, MELBOURNE, MONTEVIDEO, NEW YORK.

Soccer Connections answers — August 23, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Locations of city football group clubs”. The answers: MANCHESTER, MELBOURNE, MONTEVIDEO, NEW YORK.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Teams coached by jürgen klopp”. The answers: MAINZ, BORUSSIA DORTMUND, LIVERPOOL, GERMANY.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Premier league-winning goalkeepers”. The answers: FLOWERS, HART, VAN DER SAR, ČECH.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Managers new to the premier league this season”. The answers: ROSE, ALONSO, SAGE, ARBELOA.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all Premier League managers who just started this season: **Rose** (Leicester's manager), **Alonso** (Liverpool's manager), **Sage** (Southampton's manager), and **Arbeloa** (Ipswich's manager). The trickiest part is that three of these names are actual surnames—Hart, Van der Sar, and Čech are all famous goalkeepers who won the Premier League, which is the blue group—so your brain kept trying to slot Rose and the others into that category too. Sage was probably the biggest bait since it could sound like a first name, making you second-guess whether it belonged with the yellow or green groups instead!

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

LinkedIn puzzles

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 →