Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Friday, October 23, 2026

Updated: Friday, October 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 Friday, October 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 (October 23, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “USA”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “DUKLA PRAGUE”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “STAMFORD BRIDGE”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “GREEN”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Non-south american countries to play at copa américa”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Defunct clubs”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Associated with chelsea”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Scored for usmnt at the world cup”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Non-south american countries to play at copa américa”, and its four answers are: USA, QATAR, COSTA RICA, HAITI.

Soccer Connections answers — October 23, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Non-south american countries to play at copa américa”. The answers: USA, QATAR, COSTA RICA, HAITI.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Defunct clubs”. The answers: DUKLA PRAGUE, CHIVAS USA, MIAMI FUSION, BRESCIA.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Associated with chelsea”. The answers: STAMFORD BRIDGE, BLUE, LAMPARD, TERRY.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Scored for usmnt at the world cup”. The answers: GREEN, BROWN, TILLMAN, BRADLEY.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all about USMNT players who scored at the World Cup—Gregg Green, Clint Dempsey (Brown jersey nickname), Folsom "Folker" Tillman, and Bob Bradley Jr., though that last one's a bit of a stretch since Bradley's more known for coaching. The real trap here is that BROWN and GREEN are also colors associated with Chelsea (the Blues' kit rivals and general football terminology), which makes them feel like they belong in that blue group instead. BRADLEY was probably the sneakiest because it's such a common soccer name—you might've thought it was connected to Chelsea legend Bob Bradley or even conflated it with the club's color scheme. And TILLMAN? That one's easy to miss entirely unless you're deep in USMNT World Cup history, which is probably why it's the trickiest group overall.

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