Futdoku

About Futdoku

Futdoku is the football sister game of Flagdoku, a flag grid puzzle on the same site. The format is the familiar 3x3 sports grid: three criteria across the top, three down the side, and each of the nine cells needs a footballer who satisfies both its row and its column. The site calls it a football sudoku.

The criteria cover a wide range. Some are about careers, such as having won the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A or the Champions League, having been a league top scorer, a World Cup winner or a Golden Boy winner, or never having won a particular trophy. Others are about the name itself, such as a one-word name, a double letter or more vowels than consonants, which forces you to think about players in a different way. The player data runs from the 1997-98 season to 2026-27.

Each day's grid is built around a classic match. A correct player scores one point, a wrong player scores nothing, and the maximum from the grid is nine. On top of that there is a hidden player: find him for a perfect score.

The game is free in the browser, with a player search page to check who is in the database and an archive where you can play earlier numbered grids by clicking their number.

How to play Futdoku

1. Open today's numbered Futdoku grid.
2. Pick a cell and read its row criterion and column criterion.
3. Type a player who meets both; full names, including surname, are accepted.
4. Each correct player scores one point, up to nine; wrong players score nothing.
5. Find the hidden player for a perfect score, then try earlier grids from the archive.

Tips

• Start with the strictest criteria, such as top scorer awards, and fill those cells first.
• For name-based criteria, run through squads you know letter by letter rather than by fame.
• Think about the classic match behind the grid; its players often fit several cells.
• Use the search page to check spelling and whether a player is in the database.

Questions