Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Monday, October 26, 2026

Updated: Monday, October 26, 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 26, 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 26, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “BAPTISM OF FIRE”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “EUSÉBIO”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “RAPINOE”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “TEST”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Describes a tough match”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Mononymous ballon d'or winners”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Ballon d'or féminin winners”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “Ballon d'or winners with first letter of surname changed”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Describes a tough match”, and its four answers are: BAPTISM OF FIRE, MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB, DOGFIGHT, CHALLENGE.

Soccer Connections answers — October 26, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Describes a tough match”. The answers: BAPTISM OF FIRE, MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB, DOGFIGHT, CHALLENGE.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Mononymous ballon d'or winners”. The answers: EUSÉBIO, RIVALDO, KAKÁ, RODRI.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Ballon d'or féminin winners”. The answers: RAPINOE, HEGERBERG, PUTELLAS, BONMATÍ.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “Ballon d'or winners with first letter of surname changed”. The answers: TEST, SAW, HAMMER, LEAH.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is brutal because each answer is actually a Ballon d'Or winner's name with their first letter swapped out—TEST is Pelé (P→T), SAW is Maldini (M→S), HAMMER is Platini (P→H), and LEAH is Zidane (Z→L). The real trap here is the green group, since RODRI, KAKÁ, EUSÉBIO, and RIVALDO are all legitimate Ballon d'Or winners that could totally fool you into thinking they belong with RAPINOE, HEGERBERG, PUTELLAS, and BONMATÍ (the Féminin winners). Those mononymous guys in green are the bait because they *sound* like they fit the "special Ballon d'Or category" vibe, but they're just regular winners, while the purple group requires you to recognize the wordplay layer hiding the real names underneath.

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 →