How to play The Connection

Every round gives you two football clubs and one country. Your job is to name a real footballer who has played for both clubs and is connected to that country.

What counts as a correct answer

A player is a valid answer if both of these are true:

• He played for both clubs. First-team spells and loan spells both count. Youth and academy spells only count if your group agrees before you start.
• He is connected to the country. That means he was born there or he has played for its national team.

So for Arsenal, Chelsea and England, Ashley Cole is a correct answer. He played for both clubs and was capped by England. For Arsenal, Chelsea and Spain, you need someone like Cesc Fàbregas.

How a round works

1. Tap Kick Off. The first club appears.
2. Tap again to reveal the second club, then again to reveal the country. Revealing the clues one by one gives everyone a moment to start thinking.
3. Start the shot clock if you are playing against time. You can choose 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds, or switch the timer off.
4. The first person to say a correct answer out loud wins the round. Tap their name to give them the point.
5. Tap Next Round to deal new clubs.

The two modes

Verified: Premier League

Rounds come from a hand-checked deck of more than 500 real connections between Premier League clubs. Type a name into the answer box and tap Check to see if it is right. Spelling doesn't need to be perfect, and a surname is enough. If nobody can think of an answer, or there is an argument, tap Reveal Answer to see every player in our list who fits. Other correct answers can exist, so a player we don't list can still win the point if your group agrees.

Difficulty

Easy rounds pair two of the biggest clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Medium rounds include one of them. Hard rounds use other clubs or depend on a loan spell. Choose All to mix them up.

Wildcard: all clubs

Wildcard pairs any two clubs from around the world with any country. There is no answer key, so some rounds may have no answer at all. Use it with friends who know their football and will check each other's answers. Tap Skip if a round looks impossible.

Keeping score

Add each player's name before you start. Their scores stay on the device you are playing on, so you can carry a game over to the next night. The scoreboard log keeps a record of recent rounds, including who won each one and the confirmed answer where it was revealed. Use Reset scores to start a fresh game.

House rules worth agreeing first

• Loans: most groups count them. Decide before you start.
• Wrong answers: you might want a one-guess-per-round rule, or a point deducted for wrong answers, to stop people shouting out every name they know.
• Teams: with a big group, split into two teams and let teams confer for the length of the shot clock.
• Pub quiz round: play ten rounds with the timer at 30 seconds and write answers on paper. Reveal the confirmed answers at the end.

Common questions

Does the player have to be from that country's national team?

No. Either being born in the country or playing for its national team is enough. For example, a player born in England who chose to play for the Republic of Ireland counts for both countries.

What if the revealed answer is wrong?

Every verified round is checked by hand, but mistakes are possible. Please tell us on the contact page and we will fix it.

Can I play on my phone?

Yes. The game works in any modern browser on phones, tablets and computers. Nothing needs to be installed.