The Ball Grid
Day #173 — 21 October 2026
2025/2026 Season
This is the full record of The Ball Grid for 2026-10-21: the categories that made up each 3×3 board, every Premier League player who satisfied both criteria in each square, how the field actually answered them, and the day’s leading scores. Every player listed appeared for the relevant club and met the relevant statistical criteria within the 2025/2026 season alone.
Classic Grid
Day #173’s Classic Grid was drawn from the 2025/2026 Premier League season and rated Easy. Across the nine cells there were 543 qualifying players in total. The tightest square was Newcastle United × 3+ Yellow Cards, with only 11 valid answers; the most forgiving was Midfielder × European, where 120 players fit.
In play, the square that caught people out was Newcastle United × 1+ Goals, answered correctly just 57% of the time, while 190cm or Taller × European was filled correctly 100% of the time.
Row categories
- European— European nationality in 2025/2026.
- 1+ Goals— Scored at least 1 PL goal in 2025/2026.
- 3+ Yellow Cards— 3+ Yellow Cards in 2025/2026.
Column categories
- Newcastle United— Appeared for Newcastle United in 2025/2026.
- 190cm or Taller— 190cm or Taller in 2025/2026.
- Midfielder— Listed as a Midfielder in 2025/2026.
Every square, and who qualified
The answer key for a grid publishes the day after it runs, so today’s squares stay unspoiled. Play it first — the full list of qualifying players appears here tomorrow.
Top 10 that day
No results yet.
Play this gridRapid Fire
Day #173’s Rapid Fire was drawn from the 2025/2026 Premier League season and rated Easy. Across the nine cells there were 329 qualifying players in total. The tightest square was Aston Villa × English, with only 10 valid answers; the most forgiving was Forward × Under 25 at Season Start, where 84 players fit.
Row categories
- English— English nationality in 2025/2026.
- Under 25 at Season Start— Under 25 at Season Start in 2025/2026.
- Over 185cm— 185cm or taller in 2025/2026.
Column categories
- Aston Villa— Appeared for Aston Villa in 2025/2026.
- More Goals Than Assists— More Goals Than Assists in 2025/2026.
- Forward— Listed as a Forward in 2025/2026.
Every square, and who qualified
The answer key for a grid publishes the day after it runs, so today’s squares stay unspoiled. Play it first — the full list of qualifying players appears here tomorrow.
Top 10 that day
No results yet.
Play this grid