Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Sunday, October 25, 2026

Updated: Sunday, October 25, 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 25, 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 25, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “TESTIMONIAL”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “DÉRBI PAULISTA”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “FIGO”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “CAMP NOU”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Non-competitive matches”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Club rivalries”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Played for both barcelona and real madrid”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Stadiums to have hosted el clásico”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Non-competitive matches”, and its four answers are: TESTIMONIAL, CLUB FRIENDLY, PRESEASON GAME, EXHIBITION.

Soccer Connections answers — October 25, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Non-competitive matches”. The answers: TESTIMONIAL, CLUB FRIENDLY, PRESEASON GAME, EXHIBITION.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Club rivalries”. The answers: DÉRBI PAULISTA, EL CLÁSICO, EL TRÁFICO, SUPERCLÁSICO.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Played for both barcelona and real madrid”. The answers: FIGO, RONALDO, LAUDRUP, HAGI.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Stadiums to have hosted el clásico”. The answers: CAMP NOU, MONTJUÏC, VICENTE CALDERÓN, LA CARTUJA.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all stadiums that have actually hosted El Clásico matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid, which is why it's so sneaky—three of these names sound like they *should* be rivalries themselves, just like the green group. CAMP NOU and MONTJUÏC are Barcelona's home grounds, VICENTE CALDERÓN was Madrid's old stadium, and LA CARTUJA hosted a Copa del Rey final between them. The real trap here is that people might overthink MONTJUÏC and VICENTE CALDERÓN as potential rivalry names, or lump them with the actual named derbies in green. Also, if you weren't careful, you could've mixed up RONALDO with the Brazil player who actually played for both clubs (there's the Portuguese one and the Brazilian legend, which adds another layer of confusion to the blue 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.

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 →