Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Sunday, October 4, 2026

Updated: Sunday, October 4, 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 Sunday, October 4, 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 4, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “UNDERDOGS”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “CANNES”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “JOL”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “THE GALLOPING MAJOR”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “A team not expected to win”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Zinedine zidane teams”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Former premier league head coaches”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Famous player nicknames”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “A team not expected to win”, and its four answers are: UNDERDOGS, OUTSIDERS, MINNOWS, LONGSHOTS.

Soccer Connections answers — October 4, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “A team not expected to win”. The answers: UNDERDOGS, OUTSIDERS, MINNOWS, LONGSHOTS.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Zinedine zidane teams”. The answers: CANNES, BORDEAUX, REAL MADRID, FRANCE.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Former premier league head coaches”. The answers: JOL, LITTLE, SHAKESPEARE, DYCHE.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Famous player nicknames”. The answers: THE GALLOPING MAJOR, DAVE, THE BLACK SPIDER, ZIZOU.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all famous soccer player nicknames—"The Galloping Major" for Denis Law, "Dave" for David Beckham (from the tabloids), "The Black Spider" for N'Golo Kanté, and "Zizou" for Zidane—which is why Zidane himself appearing in the green group was such effective bait. The blue group caught people because those four surnames (Jol, Little, Shakespeare, Dyche) all look like they could be regular words or names, but they're actually all Premier League managers: Martin Jol, Mark Little, Craig Shakespeare, and Sean Dyche. The main trap was probably mixing up Zidane with his nickname "Zizou" in purple rather than staying with him as a person in green, and not immediately recognizing that "Dave" referred to Beckham's tabloid nickname rather than just being a random name.

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.

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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 →