How does The Thread work?

Each puzzle shows a chronological list of kit suppliers (e.g. Umbro → Adidas → Reebok) or shirt sponsors (e.g. Sharp → Vodafone → AON) used by a single football club. Three entries are hidden. Type the club's name to guess; reveal hidden entries as hints if you're stuck — but each hint costs points.

Is The Thread free to play?

Yes. Today's The Thread puzzle is free to play in your browser at football-iq.app — no signup or download required. A new club every day.

How is The Thread scored?

Guess with 0 hints revealed for 10 points. 1 hint = 6, 2 hints = 4, 3 hints = 2. Out of guesses or give up = 0. Wrong guesses are free — only hints cost.

The Thread — Guess the Club from Kit Sponsors | Football IQ

What is The Thread?

The Thread identifies a club purely from its commercial history — the run of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors it has cycled through over the decades. It is a strange, oddly evocative way to remember a club, and it rewards anyone who grew up looking at shirts rather than league tables.

How to play The Thread

You're shown a club's kit-supplier or shirt-sponsor history in chronological order.
Three entries are hidden ('???') to start — reveal them as hints if you're stuck.
Type the club name into the input and submit to guess.
Score: 0 hints = 10pts, 1 hint = 6, 2 hints = 4, 3 hints = 2. Wrong guesses are free.
Out of hints? Hit 'Give up' to reveal the answer + kit-history fun fact.

The Thread strategy

Date the thread before you name the club. Sponsor names are era-stamped in a way suppliers are not: a Japanese electronics brand points hard at English football in the eighties or nineties, a betting company points at the 2010s, and an airline or state carrier usually means a club with money after 2005. Once you have the decade, the supplier sequence tells you the tier — long Umbro or Hummel runs suggest a different kind of club than an unbroken Nike deal.

The visible entries usually anchor an era — match the dates to a club's history.
Kit suppliers (Adidas, Nike, Puma) repeat across many clubs; the order is what makes it unique.
Shirt sponsors often tell you the country/region — a Japanese electronics brand probably means a 90s English club.

The Thread — frequently asked questions

How does The Thread work?: Each puzzle shows a chronological list of kit suppliers (e.g. Umbro → Adidas → Reebok) or shirt sponsors (e.g. Sharp → Vodafone → AON) used by a single football club. Three entries are hidden. Type the club's name to guess; reveal hidden entries as hints if you're stuck — but each hint costs points.
Is The Thread free to play?: Yes. Today's The Thread puzzle is free to play in your browser at football-iq.app — no signup or download required. A new club every day.
How is The Thread scored?: Guess with 0 hints revealed for 10 points. 1 hint = 6, 2 hints = 4, 3 hints = 2. Out of guesses or give up = 0. Wrong guesses are free — only hints cost.

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The Thread is a daily football kit-trivia game. Trace a club's chronological kit-supplier or shirt-sponsor history and name the team. Free to play in your browser, new puzzle every day.

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