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Today's Connections: Sports Edition features a fun mix of categories, including one for Windy City residents. If you're struggling with the 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: Deal me in.
Green group hint: City of the Big Shoulders.
Blue group hint: College leaders.
Purple group hint: Hoops stars.
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Card suits.
Green group: Chicago teams.
Blue group: SEC men's basketball coaches.
Purple group: Basketball Hall of Famers, minus a letter.
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 26, 2026.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETThe yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is card suits. The four answers are club, diamond, heart and spade.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is Chicago teams. The four answers are DePaul, Fire, Sky and White Sox.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is SEC men's basketball coaches. The four answers are Calipari, Oats, Pearl and Pope.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is Basketball Hall of Famers, minus a letter. The four answers are diva (Vlade Divac) garnet (Kevin Garnett), Wad (Dwyane Wade) and Worth (James Worthy).
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.