- Apple Sports launches in 90 new markets ahead of FIFA World Cup 26
- A new visual tournament center adds live formations, lineups and team tracking
- As with other sports, we expect real-time updates for these games.
While it’s not a hat trick, Apple is doing a double-header of ads for the Apple Sports app ahead of one of the biggest global sporting events of the year, kicking off next month: the FIFA World Cup 26.
For those who haven’t used it, the Apple Sports app is designed to be a one-stop shop for sports scores and live updates for most major games in all categories. Whether it’s baseball, football, tennis, basketball or Formula 1, the app also supports larger tournaments.
Apple Sports is free and available to download in more than 170 countries and regions, after the Cupertino-based tech giant added 90 new markets today. So if it wasn’t already available in your home country, Apple may have added it to the list.
However, FIFA fans will be pleased to know that they can prepare to follow the tournament as a whole and their favorite teams ahead of the first match starting in June. The team behind Apple Sports is introducing a new tournament view that will allow you to follow any team from the early group stages all the way to the final.
It’s a very clean visual appearance that presents a decent amount of information in an easy and visible way; Of course, you can click or tap to go deeper. However, perhaps even more interesting are the visual formations that allow you to get an idea of the team structure and the position of the players through photographs scattered around the field. It’s an easy way to view the starting lineup, see who’s on the bench, and track how the competition is shaping up.
As players come and go, Apple Sports will update this view, as well as the other statistics. One of the most impressive parts of the Apple Sports app since its launch is the speed at which it pulls real-time data and presents it, often surpassing a radio or television broadcast as there are no delays.
It will be something to watch at the FIFA World Cup 26, but Apple likely won’t let performance slip in such an important match series on a truly global stage. In a quote shared in conjunction with this app expansion, Oliver Schusser, Apple’s senior vice president of music, sports, Apple TV and Beats, emphasized the importance of data and said:
“The World Cup unites fans around the world, making it the ideal time to bring Apple Sports to even more users. Apple Sports was designed to be fast and simple, giving fans an easy way to stay on top of scores, stats and the biggest action in real time.”
Just like we’ve seen with Apple Sports supporting Formula 1 and linking the experience with other parts of the Apple ecosystem, you’ll be able to access Apple News if you’re in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia to watch World Cup content. However, unlike MLS, Friday Night Baseball or Formula 1, Apple TV does not broadcast the games.
Still, with a variety of sports apps on the market (many of which cost money), Apple Sports is clearly trying to beef up its interface for the FIFA World Cup, and I’m eager to see how these features work in practice and the speed at which they’re updated.
Let me know what you think of the updates in the comments below. And yes, the Apple Sports app is still free and exclusive for iPhone.
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