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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. Let’s hope you know the US men’s World Cup team! If you’re struggling with the puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Keep running!
Green group hint: Time to brag.
Blue group hint: The Yanks are playing.
Purple group hint: Liberty ____.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Portion of a race.
Green group: Show off.
Blue group: US men’s soccer players.
Purple group: ____ bell.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for June 19, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is portion of a race. The four answers are lap, leg, segment and stage.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is show off. The four answers are flaunt, grandstand, hotdog and showboat.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is US men’s soccer players. The four answers are Balogun, Dest, Ream and Scally.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ____ bell. The four answers are bar, Cool Papa, kettle and victory.
Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories
The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.
That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing.
#1: Serie A Clubs. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.
#2: WNBA MVPs. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.
#3: Premier League team nicknames. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.
#4: Homophones of NBA player names. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.
