Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Updated: Wednesday, September 16, 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 Wednesday, September 16, 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 (September 16, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “HANDSHAKES”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “HAITI”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “SÃO PAULO”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “ENGLAND REVOLUTION”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Associated with a trophy presentation”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Didn't win a game at 2026 world cup”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Teams kaká played for”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “New _____”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Associated with a trophy presentation”, and its four answers are: HANDSHAKES, TROPHY LIFT, PODIUM, FIREWORKS.

Soccer Connections answers — September 16, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Associated with a trophy presentation”. The answers: HANDSHAKES, TROPHY LIFT, PODIUM, FIREWORKS.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Didn't win a game at 2026 world cup”. The answers: HAITI, TUNISIA, NEW ZEALAND, URUGUAY.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Teams kaká played for”. The answers: SÃO PAULO, AC MILAN, ORLANDO CITY, BRAZIL.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “New _____”. The answers: ENGLAND REVOLUTION, YORK CITY FC, YORK RED BULLS, ZEALAND.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all things that can follow "New" to make a place or team name: New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, and New Zealand. The trickiest part here is that New York Red Bulls and New York City FC are both real MLS teams that could easily trick you into thinking they belong together in a "New York teams" group, but the puzzle wanted you to see they're both just "New ___" completions. England Revolution is the real trap though—it's so close to New England Revolution that your brain might try to group it separately, but it's actually just the tail end of that full team name. And New Zealand seems obvious at first as a country, but it's really just playing the same "New ___" game as everything else in that group.

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 →