Russian to find the best World Cup apps?
DON’T MISS A KICK OF THE GREATEST FOOTBALL SHOW ON EARTH WITH THESE DOWNLOADABLE DELIGHTS
ALL eyes are firmly on Russia as the 2018 FIFA World Cup roars into life. Make sure you stay in the know with the best apps to follow all the action.
2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA
(iOS and Android, free)
■ They say: The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Official FIFA App is a must-have for any football follower! Download it now and have the FIFA World Cup with you any time, any place.
■ We say: The official World Cup app is a bit corporate and soulless, but then, it is made by FIFA. It does the job though – all the fixtures, results, players, and stadiums are covered, although you should’t expect the real story from the news items and analysis.
ONEFOOTBALL
(iOS and Android, free)
■ They say: For the fans not lucky enough to have World Cup tickets, Onefootball is the only football app you need for this summer’s World Cup in Russia, 2018. ■ We say: Onefootball has become my go-to app for football news, and the notification system helps you keep up with games while you’re on the go.
I particularly like the transfers tab, which rounds up rumours and confirmed deals for your favourite club. For the World Cup, a temporary tab has been added to collate all the latest from Russia.
FMdB FOOTBALL SCOUT
(iOS, free with in-app purchases) ■ They say: Powered by Football Manager, FMdB equips you with the knowledge you need on the world’s best footballers – and 500,000 players in total!
■ We say: When they assign the stats to players in the world’s greatest football management game – Football Manager – they don’t just make them up.
They have a team of experts around the globe gathering accurate info on all the players in the game. This is why real managers sometimes use it to get the low-down on players they have not seen (this is not a joke, they really do).
Now you can access the database of players on your iPhone (coming to Android soon, they tell me).
Invaluable during the World Cup to get to know the best players you haven’t heard of… yet.
BBC iPLAYER
(iOS and Android, free)
■ They say: Keep up with BBC TV on the go.
■ We say: It gets a lot of stick, but the iPlayer app is a reliable place to watch all the games from Russia that the BBC is broadcasting over the next month or so. The infrastructure is solid, and won’t let you down just as England are about to bag the winner in the final against the Germans next month.
ITV HUB
(iOS and Android, free with in-app purchase)
■ They say: Your place to stream live telly, watch exclusive videos and catch up on the programmes everyone’s talking about.
■ We say: And this is the place to watch all the games ITV are broadcasting when you are on the go. It means you can agree to go shopping, and still watch Peru v Denmark in secret on your phone.
Worth splashing £3.99 a month to get rid of the ads, though (also allows you to download shows, and use it abroad, if, like me, you have inexplicably booked a holiday out of the country within the next month or so).
FIFA FOOTBALL: FIFA WORLD CUP
(iOS and Android, free with in purchases) ■ They say: Play the FIFA World Cup™ available now, until August 1, 2018. Build a national team, take on the world, and earn great rewards.
■ We say: If you want to actually play the World Cup yourself, there is no better way to get into the thick of the action – as long as you can stomach the heavy presence of Cristiano Ronaldo all over the thing.
FIFA WORLD CUP FANTASY
(IOS and Android, free)
■ They say: FIFA World Cup™ Fantasy is a free football game in which, from a budget, you buy a squad of players, who then win you points for things like assists, goals and clean sheets at Russia 2018. It’s a sure-fire way to make each of the 64 matches even more intriguing!
■ We say: FIFA World Cup Fantasy – no, we’re not talking about being ever so slightly optimistic about England’s chances in Russia, we’re talking about that game in which you assemble a team of your own from the real players at the World Cup, and are awarded points depending on how well they do.
The goal, I think, is to prove that you, not Gareth Southgate, should have picked the team.