- Apple Sports will be launched in 90 new markets ahead of the FIFA World Cup on 26
- A new visual tournament hub adds live formations, lineups and team tracking
- As with other sports, we expect it to be updated in real time for these games
While not quite a hat trick, Apple is pulling off a one-two punch of announcements for the Apple Sports app ahead of one of the biggest global sporting events of the year, which kicks 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 across categories. Whether it’s baseball, soccer, football, tennis, basketball or Formula 1, the app also supports major tournaments.
Apple Sports is free and available to download in over 170 countries and regions after the Cupertino-based tech giant added 90 new markets today. So if it wasn’t yet available in your home country, Apple might have added it to the list.
However, fans of FIFA will be happy to know that you can get ready to track the tournament as a whole and your favorite teams ahead of the first match starting in June. The team at Apple Sports is introducing a new tournament view that lets you track any team from the early group stages to the finals.
It’s a very clean visual appearance that presents a decent bit of information in a light, clear way – of course you’ll be able to click or tap to dive deeper. Perhaps even more interesting, however, are the visual formations that let you get a sense of the team structure and player positioning via images scattered across the pitch. It’s an easy way to see the starting line-up, see who’s on the bench and follow how the competition is developing.
As players are subbed in and out, Apple Sports updates this view as well as the other stats. One of the more impressive parts of the Apple Sports app since launch is the speed at which it retrieves real-time data and presents it, often beating a TV or radio broadcast as there is no lag.
It will be one to watch for FIFA World Cup 26, but chances are Apple won’t let the performance slip for such an important series of matches on a real world stage. In a quote shared alongside this expansion of the app, Oliver Schusser, Apple’s SVP of Music, Sports, Apple TV and Beats, emphasized the importance of the data, saying:
“The World Cup unites fans around the globe, making it the ideal time to bring Apple Sports to even more users. Apple Sports is designed to be fast and simple, giving fans an easy way to stay ahead of scores, stats and the action that matters most in real time.”
Just as we’ve seen with Apple Sports, which supports Formula 1 and connects the experience to other parts of Apple’s ecosystem, you’ll be able to jump into Apple News if you’re in the US, UK, Canada or Australia to watch World Cup content. Unlike MLS, Friday Night Baseball or Formula 1, Apple TV itself does not broadcast the games.
Still, with a number of sports apps on the market – many of which cost money – Apple Sports is clearly trying to improve its interface for the FIFA World Cup, and I’m keen to see how these features work in practice and the speed at which they update.
Let me know what you think about the updates in the comments below. And yes, the Apple Sports app is still free and exclusive to the iPhone.
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