MISSING XI

One player is missing from this famous lineup. Name him in 3 guesses.

GK

RB

CB

LB

CDM

CAM

ST

?

Missing XI: Guess the Missing Soccer Player

A real, famous starting XI from soccer history with one player blanked out. Name the missing man with escalating hints that never repeat what the card already shows. Champions League finals, World Cup finals, Euros finals and iconic title deciders.

One famous real lineup, ten names showing, one tile blank. Missing XI asks the simplest question in football trivia: who is missing? Champions League finals, World Cup finals, Euros deciders and iconic title run-ins all take a turn.

You get three guesses and a ladder of hints that never repeat what the card already shows. Nail it first time for the full 100.

How to play Missing XI, a free daily soccer lineup quiz

Reading the match card details

Read the match card: competition, score line, venue, formation and whose XI you are looking at.

Studying the pitch for the blank tile

Study the pitch. Ten tiles carry names, one shows only a position and a question mark.

Searching the database for your guess

Search the player database and lock in your guess for the missing man.

Unlocking a new hint after each miss

Each miss unlocks a new hint before the next try. Three misses reveals the answer.

Playing the daily lineup or the archive

Play the shared daily lineup, then raid the archive in Unlimited.

Missing XI rules: scoring, hints and the daily puzzle

Scoring three guesses on a falling scale

3 guesses per puzzle: 100 points on the first, 70 on the second, 40 on the third, 0 for a miss or a give up.

Unlocking hints that never repeat the card

Hints add new information only: a club lineup hints the missing player's nationality, a national team lineup hints his club at the time, then comes the first letter of his surname.

Sharing the daily puzzle and the Unlimited archive

The daily puzzle is the same lineup and same blanked player for everyone, changing at midnight Eastern Time.

Unlimited draws from an archive of over 200 hand checked real lineups, with the blanked position varying between runs. Repeating a name you already tried never burns a guess.

Missing XI walkthrough: naming Mascherano at centre back

Reading a 2011 Champions League final card

The card reads 2011 Champions League Final, Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United, Wembley. The blank sits at centre back beside Pique. Puyol is the reflex answer, but he started that night on the bench.

Naming Mascherano over the reflex answer

The actual partner was Javier Mascherano, a midfielder moonlighting at centre back in a European final. Land it first try for the full 100 and a fact to correct people with forever.

Missing XI tips for reading lineups and formations

Reciting the famous XI before searching

Recite the famous XI before searching. The blank is usually the name memory skips, a full back or the holding midfielder, not the star.

Reading the formation label for a clue

Use the formation label. A 4-2-3-1 tells you exactly what job the blank tile is doing.

Waiting for the hint before guess two

Never rush guess two. Wait for the hint, cross reference the era, then commit.

Missing XI FAQ: real lineups and the daily reset

Are the lineups actually real?

Yes. Every XI is a hand checked starting lineup from a real match, surprise selections included, which is what makes some blanks so cruel.

Is my daily puzzle the same as everyone's?

Same lineup, same hidden player, worldwide, until the next puzzle arrives at midnight Eastern Time.

Is Missing XI free to play?

Yes. Missing XI is free to play on DoUKnowBall, right in your browser. No download and no signup needed.

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