How to play
Six guesses. Six clues. One footballer.
GoalWord is a daily football player guessing game. The rules are simple, the clues are progressive, and the comparison feedback turns every wrong guess into useful information.
The rules
How a round works
A round takes two minutes. There is no timer, no login, and no penalty for taking your time. The only resource you spend is guesses.
Find one mystery footballer
Each daily challenge hides a single player from the GoalWord database. Everyone gets the same player and the same six guesses.
Type a name and pick from the list
Start typing a surname or common alias, then choose the player from the autocomplete. The list keeps the database clean and prevents spelling errors.
A wrong guess unlocks a clue
The first clue is free. Every wrong guess reveals the next clue in order: nationality, position, birth year, clubs, competitions, and a signature fact.
Read the comparison feedback
Every guess shows nationality, position, birth year, and shared clubs. Green is an exact match, amber means the birth year is close, and grey means no match.
Solve it in six or fewer
A correct guess ends the round immediately. Fewer guesses means a better score and a more impressive share grid.
Come back at 00:00 UTC
A new player unlocks every day at midnight UTC. Your streak, win rate, and distribution are saved in your browser without an account.
Reading the feedback
What the colours mean
Every guess is compared with the mystery player on four attributes. The colour tells you whether you match, are close, or missed.
Green — exact match
The guessed nationality, position, or club is shared with the mystery player. A green birth year means the exact year.
Amber — close
The birth year is within two years of your guess. It is not an exact match, but it narrows the generation.
Grey — no match
That attribute is different. For birth year, an arrow tells you whether the mystery player is older or younger.
Worked example
Guess: Harry Kane
For illustration only. The real mystery player changes daily.
Nationality
England · match
Position
Forward · match
Birth year
1993 · close
Shared clubs
None
The mystery player is English, plays forward, was born within two years of 1993, and shares no clubs with Kane. That is enough to build a shortlist of English forwards from the early 1990s.
The dossier
The six clues, in order
The first clue is available before your first guess. Each wrong guess unlocks the next one. If you solve the puzzle early, all clues are revealed in the result.
01Nationality
The player’s national team, shown with a flag.
02Position
The broad position group and a more specific role.
03Birth year
The year the player was born, not their current age.
04Clubs
The clubs associated with their career.
05Competitions
Major honours and leagues they won.
06Signature
A career-defining fact or achievement.
Strategy
How to solve it faster
There is no perfect first guess, but there is a repeatable process. These habits help on daily, practice, and archive rounds.
The short version
Guess a famous player, filter by nationality and position, use the birth-year arrow, then let shared clubs finish the job.
01Start broad, not clever
Your first guess should be a player you know well. A famous forward from a major football nation gives you useful nationality, position, and birth-year information even if the answer is a defender from another era.
02Treat nationality and position as filters
Two green cells can cut the database dramatically. If the mystery player is a midfielder from Spain, stop guessing strikers. If the position is grey, use the clue panel to narrow the role.
03Use birth-year arrows as a range
The arrow tells you whether the target is older or younger than your guess. Amber means you are within two years. Combine that with nationality and position to build a shortlist.
04Shared clubs are the strongest signal
A shared club means both careers overlap at the same club, even if the players never played there at the same time. One shared club can be enough to identify a generation.
05Read the signature clue carefully
The final clue is often the most specific. It may mention a World Cup, a record, a famous final, or a defining role. Use it to confirm your shortlist rather than starting from scratch.
06Remember women’s football
The database includes men’s and women’s football. If the nationality and position fit but the men’s shortlist is empty, think about women’s internationals and club careers.
Rules FAQ
Common questions
Is there a time limit?+
No. The daily challenge has no timer. You can leave the page, come back later, and continue where you left off. The puzzle only changes at 00:00 UTC.
Can I use accents or alternate spellings?+
Yes. The search normalizes accents and punctuation, so “Modric” finds “Modrić” and “Kante” finds “N’Golo Kanté”. Common aliases such as “CR7” or “R9” also work.
What happens if I refresh the page?+
Your current daily or practice round is restored from your browser’s local storage. You will not lose guesses or clues by refreshing, as long as you have not cleared site data.
Can I change a guess after submitting it?+
No. Once a guess is submitted it counts toward your six attempts. The autocomplete is there to help you choose the right player before you commit.
Does practice mode use the same rules?+
Yes. Practice uses the same clues and feedback, but it does not affect your daily streak or stats. Archive replays are also separate from the daily game.
How is the daily player chosen?+
The daily player comes from a fixed schedule of curated players, so the challenge is the same for everyone and does not change during the day. New players can be added to the database over time without changing past puzzles.
Want the story behind the format? Read about soccer Wordle or guess-the-footballer games.
Next step
Put the rules into practice
The daily challenge is live now. Six guesses, six clues, and a result worth sharing.