TORONTO (Reuters) - Soccer fans eager to stay in the loop and follow their favorite teams and players during World Cup in Brazil can keep up with the action on their smartphones using apps created for the tournament.
Thirty-two national teams will compete in the World Cup, organized by the world soccer body FIFA, in 12 host cities during the competition that begins on Thursday and runs to July 13.
“Brazil is known for being the land of football, and now we host the biggest sporting event on the planet. The benefits are already being felt,” said a spokesman for the Special Secretariat of the World Cup (Secopa), which is coordinating the competition in the state of Ceará in northeastern Brazil.
The new apps join a cornucopia of ways to follow the cup, including television and the Internet.
OneFootball Brasil, a company based in Berlin, has developed a new app for the 2014 World Cup for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone that provides scores and game news about fans’ favorite teams and players.
Grab These Mobile Apps to Stay in the World Cup Action
(OneFootball)
“Soccer fans have a strong attachment to their teams and countries, and want to be there to cheer for them and feel like they’ve actually had a part in making their team win,” said Jonathan Lavigne, the company’s chief technology officer.
Users can pick a team, and the app creates a personalized feed of news, statistics and scores, along with push notifications for real-time updates.
