Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Updated: Wednesday, September 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 Wednesday, September 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 (September 23, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “SENSATION”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “SCREAMER”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “GOALS”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “SHOOTING STARS”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “A talented youngster”.
Green (easy): the theme is “An amazing goal”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Ways to assess an attacker's performance”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Nigerian clubs”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “A talented youngster”, and its four answers are: SENSATION, WONDERKID, RISING STAR, PRODIGY.

Soccer Connections answers — September 23, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “A talented youngster”. The answers: SENSATION, WONDERKID, RISING STAR, PRODIGY.
Green (easy) — the connection is “An amazing goal”. The answers: SCREAMER, WONDERGOAL, ROCKET, GOLAZO.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Ways to assess an attacker's performance”. The answers: GOALS, SHOOTING ACCURACY, ASSISTS, CHANCES CREATED.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Nigerian clubs”. The answers: SHOOTING STARS, RANCHERS BEES, INTER LAGOS, ABIA WARRIORS.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all Nigerian soccer clubs with names that sound like they could mean something completely different—that's what made it so sneaky! SHOOTING STARS and RANCHERS BEES are actual Nigerian team names, but they're worded in a way that makes you think they belong with the green group (amazing goals) or blue group (performance metrics). INTER LAGOS sounds like it could be a generic team name, and ABIA WARRIORS might seem like it fits with the yellow group's "talented youngster" vibe. The key was recognizing that these are the official names of real Nigerian Premier League clubs, even though the wording was deliberately designed to bait you into grouping them with the sports performance answers 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 →