| PATAUDI | India won its first overseas series under his captaincy (7) |
| WADEKAR | He led India to its maiden overseas series wins in West Indies and England (7) |
| NUGGETS | The team from Denver that won its first NBA title recently. (7) |
| NOREIGA | The Windies bowler who took 9 wickets in an innings of a match that India won, leading to its first series win in the Caribbean (7) |
| ERITREA | Country that won its first Olympic medal in 2004 |
| NEWYORK | Team from the Big Apple that this year won its first MLR Shield (3,4) |
| ATISSUE | A series under discussion (2,5) |
| EGOTRIP | It will bolster self-esteem, for example, before first overseas holiday (3,4) |
| PAKISTAN | Country that won its first ICC Cricket World Cup title in 1992 under the captaincy of Imran Khan. (8) |
| LEARNED | League's leader won, it's understood (7) |
| SPRINTER | Botswana won its first ever Olympic gold medal in Paris this summer; it was won by Letsile Tebogo, who is this type of athlete |
| JUDO | Sport in which Israel won its first Olympic medal |
| BEIJINGOLYMPICS | 2008 event where Mongolia won its first gold medal |
| CMA | Eddy Arnold won its first Entertainer of the Yr. award |
| DENVERNUGGETS | Western Conference team that won its first ever NBA championship in 2023: 2 wds. |
| ITALY | Country that recently won its first Davis Cup title in 47 years. (5) |
| IDOL | "American ___" (Kelly Clarkson won its first season) |
| MANCHESTERUNITED | The football club that won its first FA Cup in 1909 |
| PSG | French soccer club that won its first Champions League title in 2025, for short |
| JAMMU | Region whose cricket team won its first Ranji title. (5) |
