Link-up
Football Codenames, basically: two teams, one-word clues, twenty footballers. Find your colour before the other team — and dodge the black card.
4-16 players
Link-up is a football take on Codenames — a team word game built around footballers. A grid of player names hides two teams' agents, some neutral names and one game-ending black card.
Each team's clue-giver knows the secret colours and gives one-word clues to lead their team-mates to the right footballers. Guess your own colour to advance, but pick the black card and you lose instantly.
It's the ideal big-group football game — bring four to sixteen friends into a lobby for a tense battle of wits, wordplay and football knowledge.
How to play
- Split into two teams in a lobby and pick a clue-giver for each side.
- The clue-giver sees which footballers belong to their team.
- They give a one-word clue plus a number to point at their players.
- Team-mates discuss and tap the footballers they think are theirs.
- Find all your colour's players first — but never pick the black card.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Link-up?
It works best with four to sixteen players split across two teams, so it's great for groups and parties.
Is Link-up lobby-only?
Yes — because it's a big team game, you play it by creating or joining a private lobby with friends.
What is the black card?
The black card is the assassin: if your team selects it, you lose the game immediately, so clues must be careful.