Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Saturday, October 31, 2026

Updated: Saturday, October 31, 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 Saturday, October 31, 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 31, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “RETRO”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “BRENTFORD”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “KANE”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “MINNESOTA”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Describes an iconic kit”.
Green (easy): the theme is “London clubs currently in the premier league”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “English ballon d'or winners”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “_____ united”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Describes an iconic kit”, and its four answers are: RETRO, VINTAGE, CLASSIC, OLD-SCHOOL.

Soccer Connections answers — October 31, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Describes an iconic kit”. The answers: RETRO, VINTAGE, CLASSIC, OLD-SCHOOL.
Green (easy) — the connection is “London clubs currently in the premier league”. The answers: BRENTFORD, TOTTENHAM, CHELSEA, ARSENAL.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “English ballon d'or winners”. The answers: KANE, OWEN, KEEGAN, CHARLTON.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “_____ united”. The answers: MINNESOTA, MANCHESTER, ATLANTA, DUNDEE.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is all the "___ United" soccer teams: Manchester United, Dundee United, Minnesota United, and Atlanta United. The tricky part is that Manchester and Dundee are also English cities with Premier League clubs, so your brain wants to throw them in with Arsenal and Chelsea, but they're actually here because of the "United" suffix. Kane, Owen, Keegan, and Charlton were the main bait—they're all English players who won individual awards, so it's easy to conflate them with the Premier League clubs category, but they're actually legendary Ballon d'Or winners instead. Don't feel bad if you got caught mixing up the Manchester and Dundee cards!

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 →