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Today's Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. The purple category is always hard, but today's is especially odd. If you're struggling with today's 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: Goaaaaal!

Green group hint: Show off your stuff.

Blue group hint: College sports group.

Purple group hint: I was told there would be no math.

Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: An MLS player.

Green group: NFL combine components.

Blue group: NCAA

Purple group: Math, but make it sports.

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 Feb. 24, 2026.

NYT/Screenshot by CNET

The yellow words in today's Connections

The theme is an MLS player. The four answers are Earthquake, Red Bull, Timber and Whitecap.

The green words in today's Connections

The theme is NFL combine components. The four answers are 40-yard dash, bench press, broad jump and interviews.

The blue words in today's Connections

The theme is NCAA. The four answers are association, athletic, collegiate and national.

The purple words in today's Connections

The theme is math, but make it sports. The four answers are 3-point arc, Division I, launch angle and plus/minus.

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.