Connections
The New York Times grouping puzzle: split sixteen words into four hidden categories of four, with only four mistakes allowed.
WordsLogic
Sports games
Connections: Sports EditionDaily Sports Puzzle: Sort 16 Into Four Groups
Connections: Sports Edition is The Athletic's daily take on the NYT grouping puzzle, edited by Mark Cooper. Sixteen sports names, teams and terms hide four themed groups of four, and you have four mistakes to spare while you find them. It's free to play in your browser, with one puzzle a day and no account needed. There is no unlimited mode: once today's puzzle is done, the next one comes tomorrow.
Play Connections: Sports Edition →Opens the official site, nytimes.com
How to play Connections: Sports Edition
- Look over the 16 tiles and pick four that you think share a link.
- Press Submit: a right group locks in with its color, a wrong one costs a mistake.
- Find all four groups before you make four mistakes.
- Groups get trickier from yellow to purple, and every puzzle has only one solution.
Tips
- Spot the red herrings first: a team name can also be a word or a player surname.
- Look for wordplay groups, like words that complete a phrase, as these are often the purple set.
- Shuffle the board when you are stuck to see new pairings.
We never post the answer to today's puzzle.
Games like Connections: Sports Edition
Immaculate Grid
A 3x3 baseball trivia grid: name a player who fits each row and column pair, with nine guesses and a rarity score for obscure picks.
SportsTriviaArchive
Crossover Grid
Daily 3x3 sports trivia grids for the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, soccer, golf and F1, plus trivia, guess-the-player and connections games.
SportsTriviaUnlimited
Strands
The New York Times themed word search: find hidden words on a letter grid, including a 'spangram' that spans the board.
Words
Who Are Ya?
A daily soccer guessing game: identify the mystery footballer from Europe's top leagues in eight tries, with an optional blurred photo.
SportsTriviaArchive
Missing 11
A daily soccer memory test: name all eleven starters from a classic match, spelling each surname Wordle-style with six tries per player.
SportsTriviaArchive
Poeltl
Guess the mystery NBA player in eight tries, using team, conference, division, position, height, age and jersey number clues.
SportsTriviaArchive
Box2Box
A timed soccer trivia grid: fill a 3x3 board of club, country and trophy crossovers in three minutes, then name as many extra players as you can.
SportsTrivia
Connections: Sports Edition FAQ
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
Connections: Sports Edition is The Athletic's daily take on the NYT grouping puzzle, edited by Mark Cooper. Sixteen sports names, teams and terms hide four themed groups of four, and you have four mistakes to spare while you find them. It's free to play in your browser, with one puzzle a day and no account needed.
Is Connections: Sports Edition free?
Yes. It's free to play in your browser, with one puzzle a day and no account needed.
Does Connections: Sports Edition have an unlimited mode?
There is no unlimited mode: once today's puzzle is done, the next one comes tomorrow.
Can you play Connections: Sports Edition on a phone?
Yes, in the phone browser.
Where is the official Connections: Sports Edition site?
Connections: Sports Edition is played at nytimes.com, made by Mark Cooper and published by The Athletic (The New York Times).
All the Dles is an unofficial directory. Connections: Sports Edition belongs to Mark Cooper / The Athletic (The New York Times); we only link to it. Added Oct 23, 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.