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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features an absolute killer of a purple category. I had never heard of any of these words before, or even of the category itself. 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: Stars.
Green group hint: Bucs is another one.
Blue group hint: Think World Cup.
Purple group hint: Fore!
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: A team’s best players.
Green group: Informal nicknames for NFL teams.
Blue group: Brazilian soccer greats.
Purple group: Old terms for golf clubs.
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 21, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is a team’s best players. The four answers are A-team, first string, regulars and starters.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is informal nicknames for NFL teams. The four answers are Bolts, G-Men, Pack and Vikes.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Brazilian soccer greats. The four answers are Kaká, Marta, Pelé and Ronaldinho.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is old terms for golf clubs. The four answers are brassie, cleek, mashie and niblick.
