Apple Sports is expanding to 90 new markets and rolling out a dedicated visual hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 — and honestly, the formations feature alone makes it worth a look.
The app, which is free and now available in over 170 countries, is getting a proper tournament view ahead of the first match in June. You'll be able to track any team from the group stage all the way through to the final, with live lineups laid out visually across a pitch — player photos included. Subs go in, the display updates. It's the kind of thing that sounds simple but most sports apps still fumble.
Why the speed matters
Apple Sports has made a point of pulling in live data faster than broadcasts since it launched. No delay, no waiting for the TV coverage to catch up. For anyone with a bet on a first goalscorer or a player to be carded, that real-time edge is genuinely useful — not marketing fluff, just how the app actually works.
Oliver Schusser, Apple's SVP of Music, Sports, Apple TV, and Beats, framed it simply: "Apple Sports was designed to be fast and simple, giving fans an easy way to stay on top of scores, stats, and the action that matters most in real time." The World Cup is the right stage to prove it.
There are limits. Apple TV isn't broadcasting the games — unlike its MLS or Friday Night Baseball deals, Apple has no rights here. And the Apple News integration for World Cup content is US, UK, Canada, and Australia only.
One to bookmark before June
The app is iPhone-exclusive and still free, which puts it in a different category from the paid tracker apps that clutter the App Store. Whether the formations view holds up under the traffic of a World Cup knockout match — that's the real test. The group stage will tell us everything.
