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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. Hope you know your Spanish soccer teams! 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: Carry the torch.
Green group hint: Backyard game.
Blue group hint: Spanish league.
Purple group hint: Staple of Asian cuisine.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Summer Olympics hosts.
Green group: Horseshoes terms.
Blue group: Words in La Liga team names.
Purple group: ____ rice.
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 May 5, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is Summer Olympics hosts. The four answers are Athens, Atlanta, Seoul and Sydney.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is horseshoes terms. The four answers are leaner, pit, ringer and stake.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is words in La Liga team names. The four answers are Atlético, Barcelona, Rayo and Real.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ____ rice. The four answers are Ben, Glen, Grantland and Kiki.
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.