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Get ready for kick off with Google's new World Cup 2018 features
- Google rolling out new features to help users track all the action during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
- Search, News, Assistant, Trends, YouTube, and more will all include soccer-related content.
- Some of the features are already live while others will be added between now and kick off on June 14.
It’s been just under four years since Germany triumphed over Argentina in Brazil and that can only mean one thing: it’s World Cup time once again. Starting later this week, 32 national teams will compete over the most coveted trophy in all of international soccer, and Google will be there to help us all keep track of all the goals and drama.
In a recent blog post, the search giant detailed how some of its key platforms will offer dedicated ways to follow all of the action when it all kicks off on June 14. Now, let’s see if I can get through them all without saying “football,” which is what everyone correctly calls it on my side of the Atlantic.
The biggest and arguably most useful FIFA World Cup 2018 goodies will appear in Search where Google says you’ll find live blogs of every game featuring cards with all the goals, key stats, subs, live photos, and much more.
Group tables, overall tournament stats, trending players, and other bits of info will also appear for any World Cup-related searches. There will also be links to highlights in more than 80 countries around the world, while YouTube TV users in the U.S. will be able to watch the full games live.
Another incredibly cool feature debuting in Search for the World Cup is a score pin that will update in real-time and stick around even if you’re browsing other apps. The pin option will show up on Android devices via “mobile browsers” and the main Google app.
The Google News Android app is also joining in the footb-sorry… soccer bonanza with a World Cup Tracker. This will feature a funky-looking “spotlight” wheel thing which will handily bundle together scores, highlights, and fixtures. The World Cup Tracker, which will also feature YouTube video highlights of matches, will only be available in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Colombia.
Looking for something a little less visual? Then why not have a chat with Google Assistant. As well as the expected score and fixture updates, Assistant will also be able to regale users with interesting World Cup facts during the tournament.
Finally, Trends and Maps are also going World Cup crazy, with the former showing interactive charts and stats based on live search data and the latter highlighting the best places to watch sports in your local area.
Will you be following along with the World Cup? Let us know in the comments!