NYT Connections Sports Version: Clues and Solutions for January 3, 2026

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you know about sports films.

This edition of the well-liked New York Times word game challenges sports enthusiasts’ expertise.

<pMuch like the original Connections, the game entails spotting “shared themes among words.” As with Wordle, Connections refreshes each day at midnight, with each subsequent batch of words becoming more difficult — hence we’ve included hints and strategies to assist you.

If you’re interested in today’s puzzle answer, jump to the conclusion of this article. If not, keep reading for clues, advice, and tactics.

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What does Connections: Sports Edition entail?

The NYT‘s most recent daily word game, launched with The Athletic, evaluates sports knowledge. Connections can be played on web browsers and mobile devices, requiring players to associate four words with a shared connection.

Each puzzle consists of 16 words sorted into four groups. These collections can feature book titles, software, country names, and more. While many terms might appear interconnected, there is only one correct solution.

Correctly identifying all four terms in a collection eliminates them from the board. An incorrect guess is counted as a mistake — players are allowed up to four mistakes before the game concludes.

Players can rearrange and shuffle the board for easier connection identification. Each set is color-coded: yellow denotes the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Similar to Wordle, results can be shared on social networks.