Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Monday, October 5, 2026

Updated: Monday, October 5, 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 Monday, October 5, 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 5, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “CONES”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “BACKHEEL”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “JOSÉ”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “PARROTT”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Used by players in training”.
Green (easy): the theme is “A piece of skill”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “First names of real madrid head coaches”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Scored an international hat-trick”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Used by players in training”, and its four answers are: CONES, RESISTANCE BANDS, SPEED HURDLES, FREE-KICK MANNEQUINS.

Soccer Connections answers — October 5, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Used by players in training”. The answers: CONES, RESISTANCE BANDS, SPEED HURDLES, FREE-KICK MANNEQUINS.
Green (easy) — the connection is “A piece of skill”. The answers: BACKHEEL, DUMMY, STEPOVER, ELASTICO.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “First names of real madrid head coaches”. The answers: JOSÉ, CARLO, XABI, FABIO.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Scored an international hat-trick”. The answers: PARROTT, SAKA, PULISIC, DAVID.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all players who've scored international hat-tricks for their countries—Parrott for Ireland, Saka for England, Pulisic for the USMNT, and David for Spain. The tricky part is that "DAVID" could easily trick you into the blue group since David Villa was a legendary Real Madrid coach... wait, no, he was a player, but the point is it sounds like it belongs with famous Madrid names. Similarly, "SAKA" and "PULISIC" might seem like they could be coach names given the blue category's first names, and "PARROTT" could sound like any number of things in soccer. The green group baited you with moves like STEPOVER and ELASTICO, which made you think about skill tricks, but our purple answers are about scoring tricks instead—a really sneaky distinction for the final group!

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 →