Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Thursday, October 1, 2026

Updated: Thursday, October 1, 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, October 1, 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 (October 1, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “SUBSTITUTE”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “THE SPECIAL ONE”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “SUNDERLAND 'TIL I DIE”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Situated at the side of the pitch”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Won english top flight but not in premier league era”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Associated with josé mourinho”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Famous soccer documentaries”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Situated at the side of the pitch”, and its four answers are: SUBSTITUTE, HEAD COACH, FOURTH OFFICIAL, PHYSIO.

Soccer Connections answers — October 1, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Situated at the side of the pitch”. The answers: SUBSTITUTE, HEAD COACH, FOURTH OFFICIAL, PHYSIO.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Won english top flight but not in premier league era”. The answers: SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY, SUNDERLAND, PORTSMOUTH, IPSWICH TOWN.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Associated with josé mourinho”. The answers: THE SPECIAL ONE, CHELSEA, INTER MILAN, THE TREBLE.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Famous soccer documentaries”. The answers: SUNDERLAND 'TIL I DIE, WELCOME TO WREXHAM, CAPTAINS OF THE WORLD, ONE NIGHT IN TURIN.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all Netflix soccer documentaries—"Sunderland 'til I Die," "Welcome to Wrexham," "Captains of the World," and "One Night in Turin"—which is why SUNDERLAND was such perfect bait for the green group (teams that won the English top flight pre-Premier League). You might've also second-guessed CHELSEA if you were thinking Mourinho's famous success there, but it belongs in the blue group as one of his most iconic achievements. THE TREBLE is also sneaky because you could imagine it referring to any number of teams' accomplishments, but it's specifically the Inter Milan treble under Mourinho in 2010, locking it into the Mourinho category. The yellow group was the gimme—everyone on the sideline during a match—so if you got stuck, that's where you should've started to build confidence.

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 (157 puzzles) → · How to play Connections: Soccer Edition →