The World Cup is here.
Well. Technically. It kicks off this Thursday, but today ’s puzzle is already hyped. It is a special Sports Edition, entirely devoted to the upcoming tournament in every category. Four groups. Forty-four letters? No. Sixteen words. One obsession.
You can find it in The Athletic app. It is their thing now, a subscription-based offshoot from The NYT Games family. You can also play for free on their site. No need to dig through the main NYT app. Just look where the money flows.
Ready to cheat? Or just peek? Here are the hints.
The Clues
Start with the easy stuff.
Yellow. Think geography. Where they play.
Green. Nicknames. If The Pharaohs fits in, you know what group it is.
Blue. A star. A star-spangled team, to be precise.
Purple. La Albiceleste. If that rings a bell, you’re halfway there.
The Solutions
Yellow Group: 2026 Host Cities
These are the cities that matter for this summer’s showcase.
– Atlanta
– Mexico City
– Philadelphia
– Toronto
Green Group: Team Nicknames
Monikers for nations competing.
– Les Éléphants
– Oranje
– Socceroos
– Three Lions
Blue Group: Christian Pulisic Teams
A career map for the winger. He has played for all of these.
– AC Milan
– Borussia Dortmund
– Chelsea
– United States
Purple Group: Argentina World Cup Players
La Albiceleste roster members. The big one is in there, obviously.
– Giovanni Lo Celso
– Alexis Mac Allister
– Lionel Messi
– Nico Paz
There it is. Another box checked. Do you actually remember the capital of Ecuador, or do you just memorize puzzle grids?
