Frequently Asked Questions

What is Onze?

Onze(French and Dutch for “eleven” - as in the starting XI) is a free daily browser game where you guess a mystery footballer connected to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Every day there is a new player to identify, and you have six guesses. After each guess, six attributes of the player you typed are compared against the secret answer and colour-coded, so every guess narrows down who it could be.

Is Onze free to play?

Yes. The game is completely free and there is no paywall and no pay-to-win - you can never buy guesses, hints, or an advantage. The only optional extras are cosmetic (sticker finishes and board themes), and the core daily puzzle is always free for everyone.

How do I play, and what do the colours mean?

Type the name of any footballer as a guess. Each of the six clue columns is then coloured:

• Green - an exact match with the mystery player.
• Yellow - close, but not exact (for example, the same confederation but a different country, or an age within a couple of years).
• Grey - no match.

Use the clues from each guess to deduce the answer within six tries. There is a full walkthrough on the How to Play page.

What are the six clues?

Each guess compares: country, confederation (UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, CAF, AFC, OFC), position, league, age, and shirt number. Arrows on the age and number columns tell you whether the real answer is higher or lower.

How many guesses do I get?

Five. If you run out, you can optionally watch a short rewarded moment for a bonus sixth attempt - but a bonus solve does not count toward your streak, so the leaderboards and streaks stay honest.

What are the three game modes?

• Daily - one mystery player from the 2026 World Cup squads, the same for everyone that day.
• Legends - guess an all-time great from World Cup history.
• Live - on matchdays, the mystery player is drawn from the two squads of a real fixture (for example, “Brazil v France”).

What's the difference between Casual and Pro?

Daily and Legends each have two levels. Casualuses only the biggest names in the game - global superstars and each major nation’s most famous player - so even if you just watch the World Cup itself, you should recognize them. Proopens up the entire pool, including starting-XI regulars and deep-cut squad players, for a serious challenge. The mystery player’s identity is purely date-based, so everyone on the same level gets the same puzzle that day.

When does the puzzle reset?

A new puzzle goes live at midnight UTCevery day, across all modes. The puzzle number (e.g. “Puzzle #3”) counts up from launch day.

What is the sticker album?

Every footballer you correctly guess is added to your collectible album - over 970 players across the 47 nations in the pool. You can browse your collection by country, and unlock premium sticker finishes (gold foil, holographic, neon, chrome and more) for free by watching a short rewarded moment.

What are streaks?

Solve the Daily puzzle on consecutive days to build a streak. Miss a day, or lose, and it resets. Your current and best streak are saved on your device and shown on your result and share cards. There are also achievement badges for milestones like 3-, 7-, 14- and 30-day streaks.

Can I play past puzzles?

Yes - there is a Past Puzzles archive where you can replay previous days for practice. Replays are clearly marked and do not affect your streak or the leaderboards.

What are national leaderboards / national pride?

Pick your country and the whole game themes itself to your flag’s colours. Your results then contribute to your nation’s standing on the daily national leaderboard, so you can represent your country against the rest of the world.

Does it work on mobile? Can I install it?

Yes. Onze is built for mobile and desktop browsers and works offline-friendly as a Progressive Web App - you can add it to your home screen for a full-screen, app-like experience. No app store or download required.

What languages is Onze available in?

Onze is fully translated into 16 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Indonesian, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. It picks your language automatically and you can change it any time.

Is my progress saved? What if I clear my browser?

Your progress - streak, stats, stickers and settings - is stored locally in your browser, not tied to an account. Clearing your browser data or switching devices will lose it, so there is a one-tap backup code you can copy and restore on another device, plus an optional email so you can save your streak.

Do my shared results give away the answer?

No. Sharing is deliberately spoiler-free: the emoji result grid and share images show your score and colours but never reveal the player or include the answer in the link, so you can post your result without ruining the puzzle for anyone else.

Does Onze use cookies or show ads?

Onze uses essential storage to run the game and, with your consent, analytics and advertising to keep it free. You control these choices in the consent banner and the “Your Privacy Choices” link. See our Privacy Policy for the full details.

Who makes Onze?

Onze is built by Split Step Labs LLC as an independent project for football fans during the 2026 World Cup. Found a wrong player detail or a missing flag, or want to get in touch? Head to our Contact page.