Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Saturday, September 26, 2026

Updated: Saturday, September 26, 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 Saturday, September 26, 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 26, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “FA”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “DUNGA”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “DOWNING”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “NUMBER 10”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “National governing bodies”.
Green (easy): the theme is “World cup-winning captains”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Never scored for england”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Describes a playmaker”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “National governing bodies”, and its four answers are: FA, DFB, USSF, FFF.

Soccer Connections answers — September 26, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “National governing bodies”. The answers: FA, DFB, USSF, FFF.
Green (easy) — the connection is “World cup-winning captains”. The answers: DUNGA, LLORIS, LAHM, VARELA.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Never scored for england”. The answers: DOWNING, PARLOUR, PARKER, LENNON.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Describes a playmaker”. The answers: NUMBER 10, FANTASISTA, CAM, ENGANCHE.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all about different ways to describe a playmaker or creative midfielder—and that's where the wordplay gets sneaky. "Number 10" is the classic jersey position for a playmaker, "CAM" stands for Central Attacking Midfielder, and then you've got "FANTASISTA" and "ENGANCHE," which are the Spanish and Portuguese/Italian terms for that same creative role. The real trap was probably mistaking these for actual player names or thinking "CAM" referred to a person—especially since names like LLORIS, LAHM, and VARELA were sitting right there in the green group as captain surnames. If you grabbed DOWNING or LENNON for any group other than blue, that's the classic bait, since they're both common surnames that could seem like they belong with other names, but they're specifically English players who never scored for the national team.

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

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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 →