Who Are Ya? Football Wordle game from Missing 11 creators explained, how does it work - and how to play it

Wordle might not quite be the all encompassing, global phenomenon it was just a few weeks ago.

Certain other world events have put paid to the daily puzzle’s necessity, and now, guessing a five-letter word when you wake up in the morning (and bragging about how quickly you did it) is of relatively minor concern.

But the game still remains popular, and variants and original takes on its basic premise continue to litter the internet.

Whether that’s the hellish octagonal brain assault of Octordle, the beat-the-intro-in-every-way-but-name schtick of Heardle, or the mind melting numbers challenge of Nerdle, there’s something for everyone.

Now, football fans can get in on the fun with Who Are Ya?, a take on the game that not only caters to lovers of the beautiful game (football, not Wordle), but also gives the daily teaser a refreshing twist.

Here’s how it works, and how to play it.

What is Wordle?

Wordle is an online brain teaser which lies somewhere between a crossword and a sudoku puzzle.

Anyone who knows the game Mastermind, which employs the use of coloured pegs, will instantly be familiar with the premise of Wordle.

The objective of the game is to guess a secret 5-letter word in six tries, using a series of hints to figure it out.

• If any of your letters are highlighted as green, that means that you’ve got the right letter in the right place.
• If any of the letters are highlighted as yellow, that means that those letters are in the word, but they’re currently in the wrong place.
• Finally, if any of your letters are highlighted as grey, it means that those letters aren’t included anywhere in the secret word.

Like Wordle, Who Are Ya? is a daily game which refreshes at midnight and provides the same challenge for players around the globe.

However, it differs from the base game in some intriguing ways.

How does Who Are Ya? work?

With Who Are Ya? players are trying to work out which football player is that day’s solution.

But, rather than guessing a five-letter name - as in Bikle, which has you guessing the five-letter names of pro-cyclists - players are attempting to work out the player based on five different attributes.

You’ll have to take into account the player of the day’s nationality, the league they currently play in, their position on the field, age, and what team they play for.

Entering a player’s name brings up these attributes, with each clue colour-coded as it would be in Wordle: green for a correct clue, with incorrect clues greyed out.

In the case of the player’s age, if you are wrong, the game will also tell you if the correct player is older or younger than the one you guessed.

There are a number of other factors which make Who Are Ya? slightly easier, meaning it can be enjoyed even by non-die hard football fans.

Each day’s puzzle is accompanied by a picture of the player in question, which begins blurred out, but gradually comes into focus with each guess.

You might think that would make things too easy for staunch supporters, but the colours of each image have been altered so as to not make players identifiable from their team’s kit.

You’re also afforded eight daily guesses, instead of Wordle’s usual six.

The game includes every player currently playing in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and the Bundesliga.

Where can I play it?

The game is available to play - for free - at missing11.com/who-are-ya, and should work on any device that supports a browser.

The game was created by the same team behind Missing 11, which employs 11 Wordle puzzles and challenges players to work out a team line-up that played in a famous past football match.

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