Connections: Soccer Edition hints & answers: Monday, November 9, 2026

Updated: Monday, November 9, 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, November 9, 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 (November 9, 2026)

1One answer from each group

Yellow (easiest): one of its answers is “DE BRUYNE”.
Green (easy): one of its answers is “SOCCER”.
Blue (tricky): one of its answers is “FLAMENGO”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): one of its answers is “FOOTIX”.

2Category hints (no answers)

Yellow (easiest): the theme is “Players with 100+ premier league assists”.
Green (easy): the theme is “Names for the sport, in different countries”.
Blue (tricky): the theme is “Brazilian clubs”.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay): the theme is “World cup mascots”.

3One full group revealed

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Players with 100+ premier league assists”, and its four answers are: DE BRUYNE, FÀBREGAS, LAMPARD, ROONEY.

Soccer Connections answers — November 9, 2026

★Today's full Soccer Connections answers, explained

Yellow (easiest) — the connection is “Players with 100+ premier league assists”. The answers: DE BRUYNE, FÀBREGAS, LAMPARD, ROONEY.
Green (easy) — the connection is “Names for the sport, in different countries”. The answers: SOCCER, CALCIO, VOETBAL, FUTEBOL.
Blue (tricky) — the connection is “Brazilian clubs”. The answers: FLAMENGO, FLUMINENSE, BOTAFOGO, VASCO DA GAMA.
Purple (trickiest, usually wordplay) — the connection is “World cup mascots”. The answers: FOOTIX, CIAO, NARANJITO, WILLIE.

The puzzle, explained

The purple group is World Cup mascots—Footix (1998 France), Ciao (1990 Italy), Naranjito (1982 Spain), and Willie (1966 England)—which is a tricky category because you really need to know soccer history beyond just playing the sport. The big bait here was the Brazilian clubs in blue; you might've initially thought Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, and Vasco da Gama were too obscure to be the answer, but they're actually a solid geographical connection, whereas the mascots require specific World Cup knowledge. Another sneaky trap was that some of these mascot names *sound* like they could be player names or random words—especially Naranjito, which literally just means "little orange" in Spanish—so your brain might've tried to force them into the Premier League assists group before you remembered they're actually '82 World Cup mascots.

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 →