Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Thursday, September 17, 2026

Updated: Thursday, September 17, 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, September 17, 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 17, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “FINALISTS”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “BARCELONA”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “NESTA”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “BALL”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Describes a team that comes second”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Associated with camp nou”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Alessandro _____”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Match _____”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Describes a team that comes second”, and its four answers are: FINALISTS, RUNNERS-UP, SECOND PLACE, SILVER MEDALISTS.

Soccer Connections answers — September 17, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Describes a team that comes second”. The answers: FINALISTS, RUNNERS-UP, SECOND PLACE, SILVER MEDALISTS.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Associated with camp nou”. The answers: BARCELONA, MÉS QUE UN CLUB , SPOTIFY, MESSI.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Alessandro _____”. The answers: NESTA, DEL PIERO, COSTACURTA, BUONGIORNO.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Match _____”. The answers: BALL, TICKET, DAY, STATS.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all about things that can follow the word "MATCH"—match ball, match ticket, match day, and match stats are all legitimate phrases you'd encounter in soccer. The trickiest part is that BALL and TICKET could easily trick you into the yellow group since runners-up get silver medals and silver balls/tickets might sound plausible, but they're not actual awards given in soccer. STATS was probably the sneakiest misdirect because you might've thought it belonged with the Barcelona group (since stats are tracked at Camp Nou), but it's purely a wordplay answer that completes the "MATCH ____" pattern. If you got hung up on Alessandro DEL PIERO or thinking MESSI belonged elsewhere, that's totally fair—the blue group required knowing those are all Italian defenders' last names, which isn't exactly common knowledge for casual fans.

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 →