Yes, you can stay on top of the World Cup with Google! The company has laid out some amazing features you can access really quickly. Let’s take a look at all the ways you can use Google on Android to keep tabs on what’s happening at the World Cup.
How to Access Google’s 2022 World Cup Coverage
Accessing Google’s World Cup coverage is relatively straightforward, and there are a few ways to do it. These are either through the Google app or via searching specific terms in the Google search bar on your home screen.
The first method involves tapping the Google app or the Google icon in the Google search widget. Below the search bar, you should see a weather widget; swipe the widget to the left, and you’ll find an Edit button (a pencil icon). Tap this and toggle Sports on.
The second method involves accessing the Google app or tapping on the widget and using specific search terms. It seems that the following search terms work to access Google’s World Cup coverage:
World Cup Qatar 2022 World Cup FIFA Qatar 2022
After inputting and searching for the terms mentioned above, you should see a list of search results. Scroll past the sponsored links, and you’ll see the FIFA World Cup Qatar overview provided by Google. Here, you’ll see a side-scrolling list of features, with a few boxes showing an overview of the World Cup.
Google’s World Cup Coverage Features
There’s a lot more to Google’s World Cup coverage than just tracking the current match and related news. It offers a ton of information, and you can set up notifications for quite a lot of the categories. You can find the following features, among others, in the side-scrolling list:
Overview and Matches Table Knockout News Players
Overview and Matches
While Overview and Matches are separate features, they basically offer the same information. Overview provides an outline of the teams and matches set to play that day, along with an option to pin the live score of the next match in line.
Table
Tapping Table takes you to an outline of the current stage with all the groups laid out in an easy-to-read fashion. It has descriptors for each team outlining the matches played, wins, draws, losses, points, goals for, goals against, goal difference, and penalty kicks for each team.
Knockout
Knockout displays the results of the World Cup in a tournament format. It displays the results for the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final. Teams and their results will auto-fill as the results come in.
News
The News section gathers the latest updates regarding the World Cup and puts them all in one place. These updates come directly from authoritative sources, like FIFA, Forbes, NBC Sports Pressbox, and CNN.
Players
Players is one of the more interesting and useful features. It organizes a list of players in tile format. Tapping on a tile opens a separate section with a detailed layout of the info on that specific player.
Set Up World Cup Notifications and Event Updates
If you’re interested in setting up notifications and event updates, Google has you covered. You can configure notifications for your favorite teams, players, and matches. You can also pin matches to your home screen in the form of a floating widget. Here’s a look at how you can configure both.
World Cup Notifications
You can get general updates by setting up notifications in Google’s World Cup coverage section. To do this, simply tap the bell at the top right of the screen. This opens another screen where you can select which teams you’re interested in receiving updates and notifications for.
Additionally, at the top right of this next screen, you can tap the bell button again to receive video recaps and other related news for the World Cup.
Pin World Cup Matches to Your Home Screen
Finally, you can pin the score for live matches right on your home screen! This comes in the form of a floating widget that functions as an overlay, much like other useful Android widgets. You can use your phone as usual and see live results without swapping between apps.
Setting this up is quite simple.
Open the World Cup section through the Sports widget in the Google app, or enter one of the search terms mentioned above in Google. Tap on Matches. You should see the option Pin live score at the bottom of the card for the upcoming match. Tap Pin live score, and you’re all set!
Use Android to Keep Up With the World Cup
The Play Store is flooded with apps for following the World Cup. While these can be quite effective, and offer a ton of features, Google has managed to pack heaps of content into its own search engine. Tapping the Sports widget in the Google app, or simply searching for a few specific terms, can take you to a central hub with all the info you need during the World Cup.
If you’re interested in a deep dive behind the history of the World Cup on your Android, Google’s hub might not be enough. For more, you might consider looking into FIFA+, FIFA’s official app for viewing all kinds of Soccer content. You can view archives of previous matches, player history, and more!
