Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Updated: Tuesday, September 22, 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 Tuesday, September 22, 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 22, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “SPRINT”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “JUMP”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “TEAMS”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “LEWIS-SKELLY”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Off-the-ball movement”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Describes a player leaving the floor”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Displayed on a live broadcast of a game”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Arsenal players”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Off-the-ball movement”, and its four answers are: SPRINT, RUN, WALK, JOG.

Soccer Connections answers — September 22, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Off-the-ball movement”. The answers: SPRINT, RUN, WALK, JOG.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Describes a player leaving the floor”. The answers: JUMP, LEAP, CLIMB, RISE.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Displayed on a live broadcast of a game”. The answers: TEAMS, SCORE, TIME, MATCH STATS.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Arsenal players”. The answers: LEWIS-SKELLY, CALAFIORI, SALMON, RICE.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all current Arsenal players—Lewis-Skelly, Calafiori, Salmon, and Rice—which is sneaky because three of those surnames are common English words that could easily trick you into other categories. RICE is probably the biggest trap since it's such an everyday word that you might've tried to force it into the yellow group as a type of movement or something food-related. SALMON could similarly feel like it belongs nowhere (it's a fish!), and CALAFIORI sounds so foreign that it doesn't ping as "word" at all. Once you know they're all Arsenal defenders though, it clicks perfectly—the purple group is basically a "do you know current soccer rosters?" quiz hiding behind words that look like they should mean something else entirely.

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 →