Board #970 — 27 August 2026
The daily soccer grid for 27 August 2026: its six categories, 245 valid answers across nine cells, and where the difficulty sat.
This was the daily board on 27 August 2026 — the 970th since the game began. Boards are generated from their date rather than stored, so this one can be rebuilt exactly, and you can still play it from the Archive tab in the game.
The six categories
Down the side
- Played in MLS
- Born in 2000 or later
- Won 2+ Champions Leagues
Across the top
- Played for Juventus
- Played in the Eredivisie
- Played for Liverpool
How the nine cells broke down
"Valid answers" is how many players in the dataset satisfied both categories. "Most obvious" is the best-known of them — the name most people reach for, and correspondingly the cheapest. "Best available" is the highest score anybody could have taken from that cell.
| Cell | Valid answers | Most obvious | Its value | Best available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Played in MLS × Played for Juventus | 14 | Thierry Henry | +21 | 🦄 +111 |
| Played in MLS × Played in the Eredivisie | 48 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | +23 | 🦄 +137 |
| Played in MLS × Played for Liverpool | 14 | Steven Gerrard | +23 | 🦄 +102 |
| Born in 2000 or later × Played for Juventus | 36 | Dušan Vlahović | +30 | 🦄 +166 |
| Born in 2000 or later × Played in the Eredivisie | 66 | Ryan Gravenberch | +43 | 🦄 +166 |
| Born in 2000 or later × Played for Liverpool | 43 | Dominik Szoboszlai | +36 | 🦄 +166 |
| Won 2+ Champions Leagues × Played for Juventus | 11 | Cristiano Ronaldo | +14 | 🟪 +54 |
| Won 2+ Champions Leagues × Played in the Eredivisie | 7 | Johan Cruyff | +12 | 🟪 +49 |
| Won 2+ Champions Leagues × Played for Liverpool | 6 | Xherdan Shaqiri | +19 | 🟦 +36 |
Where this board was won
The tightest cell was Won 2+ Champions Leagues × Played for Liverpool, with just 6 valid answers in the entire dataset. The roomiest was Born in 2000 or later × Played in the Eredivisie at 66, a spread of 60.
That gap is the whole game. The roomy cells are where a careless player burns their obvious names for a handful of points each; the tight ones are where the board is actually decided. Anyone who spent Xherdan Shaqiri early would have found the last cell considerably harder — a player can only be used once per board.
Who actually qualified
A sample of up to 6 valid answers per cell, spread across the full range rather than taken from the top of it, so each list runs from the obvious pick down towards the deep cuts. The number beside a name is what that answer would have paid in that cell — the same player is worth a different amount in a different cell, which is most of the strategy.
Played in MLS × Played for Juventus
- Thierry Henry+21
- Andrea Pirlo+37
- Douglas Costa+40
- Sebastian Giovinco+46
- Giorgio Chiellini+53
- Ronnie O'Brien+111
…and 8 more.
Played in MLS × Played in the Eredivisie
- Zlatan Ibrahimović+23
- Angeliño+53
- Adam Nemec+63
- Jukka Raitala+65
- Yaw Yeboah+80
- Hubert Busby, Jr.+137
…and 42 more.
Played in MLS × Played for Liverpool
- Steven Gerrard+23
- Robbie Keane+28
- Brad Friedel+37
- Florent Sinama Pongolle+50
- Victor Pálsson+63
- Paul Dalglish+102
…and 8 more.
Born in 2000 or later × Played for Juventus
- Dušan Vlahović+30
- Pierre Kalulu+41
- Kaio Jorge+59
- Nicolò Savona+69
- Fabrizio Caligara+101
- Stefano Turco+166
…and 30 more.
Born in 2000 or later × Played in the Eredivisie
- Ryan Gravenberch+43
- Milos Kerkez+50
- Tomáš Suslov+59
- Juan Familia Castillo+84
- Kevin Bukusu+109
- Oliver Koster+166
…and 60 more.
Born in 2000 or later × Played for Liverpool
- Dominik Szoboszlai+36
- Milos Kerkez+45
- Sepp van den Berg+54
- Bobby Clark+69
- Marcelo Pitaluga+99
- Charlotte Clarke+166
…and 37 more.
Won 2+ Champions Leagues × Played for Juventus
- Cristiano Ronaldo+14
- Didier Deschamps+34
- Andrea Pirlo+39
- Danilo+43
- Marco Borriello+47
- Paulo Sousa+54
…and 5 more.
Won 2+ Champions Leagues × Played in the Eredivisie
- Johan Cruyff+12
- Marco van Basten+22
- Bojan Krkić+30
- Edwin van der Sar+42
- Frank Rijkaard+46
- Clarence Seedorf+49
…and 1 more.
Won 2+ Champions Leagues × Played for Liverpool
- Xherdan Shaqiri+19
- Thiago Alcântara+20
- Xabi Alonso+26
- Fernando Morientes+29
- Steve McManaman+32
- Javier Mascherano+36