NYT Connections Soccer Edition Puzzle #22 — Answers for July 2, 2026
🔥 View Today's Hints & Progressive Clues →✅ Full Answers
🟨 Erling Haaland Teams
🟩 FIFA Partners
🟦 Diegos
🟪 Defunct Cup Competitions
🎯 Strategy Tips
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ (3/5) - Moderate to Challenging. Strategy: Start with yellow if you follow modern football—Haaland's career path from Molde to Salzburg to Dortmund (before Man City) plus Norway is well-documented for fans of the Premier League's top scorer. Green requires commercial awareness but FIFA's major partners are highly visible during World Cups. Blue tests player knowledge—the key is recognizing these are all "Diegos": Diego Maradona (Hand of God), Diego Forlán (2010 World Cup Golden Ball), Diego Godín (Atlético Madrid legend), Diego Costa (Chelsea/Atlético striker). Purple is the killer for younger fans—you must know defunct tournaments: Cup Winners' Cup (absorbed into UEFA Cup in 1999), FIFA Confederations Cup (test event discontinued after 2017), UEFA Intertoto Cup (summer competition ended 2008), and Mitropa Cup (pre-WWII era Central European tournament). Pro tip: If you recognize three clubs Haaland played for, the fourth yellow word is likely Norway. Historical tournament knowledge separates casual fans from football historians.
⚠️ Red Herring Warning: Multiple misleading paths exist: ADIDAS and VISA might seem connected as just "brands" without the FIFA specificity; NORWAY and other geographic names could be confused with general Scandinavian or European connections; COSTA might make solvers think of Costa Rica (country) or coastal regions; DORTMUND could be grouped with German cities rather than Haaland's clubs; CONFEDERATIONS might seem related to FIFA organizational structure rather than the specific Confederations Cup tournament. The purple category is especially tricky because these competition names might not be immediately recognizable to younger fans who never witnessed them—Cup Winners' Cup ended in 1999, Confederations Cup in 2017, Intertoto in 2008, and Mitropa Cup in 1992. Solvers unfamiliar with football history before 2000 will struggle. The "Diegos" category requires knowing full names—casual fans might not connect Godín, Forlán, Costa, and Maradona all share the first name Diego.