Apple Sports Lands in 90+ New Countries for World Cup 2026

Apple Sports has been a slightly frustrating app since it launched in early 2024. If you were in the US, UK or Canada you got a fast, glanceable scoreboard for your favourite teams. Everywhere else, you got a blocked App Store listing. That has just changed in a big way. Apple has rolled Apple Sports out to more than 90 new countries and regions, bringing the total to over 170, and it has timed the move to land right before the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The update also adds a set of tournament-specific features that turn the app into a proper second screen for the World Cup, not just a stripped-back scoreboard.

A much bigger map for Apple Sports

When Apple Sports first arrived, the country list was deliberately narrow. The pitch was simple: open the app, see your teams, see live scores, close the app. No video, no editorial bloat, no five second loading screen. That focus is still the best thing about it, but the limited country list meant huge chunks of the global football audience never got to try it.

The newest version is live on the App Store in more than 170 countries and regions, with more than 90 of those being brand new markets. It is still free, still iPhone-first, and still designed around the idea that you should be able to check a score in under two seconds.

"The World Cup unites fans across the globe, making it the ideal moment to bring Apple Sports to even more users," said Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Music, Sports, Apple TV, and Beats. "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 timing is no accident. The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, which means matches will run across awkward European and Asian time zones. Notifications and Lock Screen widgets matter a lot more when half the games are happening while you're at work or asleep.

What's new for the World Cup

Apple has shipped three features aimed squarely at the tournament:

• Tournament bracket view. A clean, scrollable layout of every matchup and result, so you can follow a team from the group stage all the way through to the final without leaving the app. Useful if, like me, you lose track of which group is which by the second round.
• Visual formations. The enhanced game cards now show each team's starting lineup with on-pitch positions, so you can see the shape before kick-off rather than reading a list of names.
• One tap to Apple News. Tapping through pulls up Apple News coverage of the match or team for the broader storyline. The catch: Apple News only operates in the US, Canada, UK and Australia, so this part won't appear for users in many of the newly added markets.

None of these features are revolutionary on their own. The reason they matter is that they live inside an app that opens instantly and shows you what you want in a single glance.

Live Activities are the real selling point

This is the bit I actually care about. Following a national team in Apple Sports switches on Live Activities on your iPhone Lock Screen and Apple Watch. That means the score updates in real time without you needing to unlock your phone, find the app and wait for it to refresh. If you keep your iPhone on a stand on your desk, you basically get a permanent mini scoreboard.

There are also Home Screen widgets for iPhone, iPad and MacBook, which is handy if you tend to keep one device on the match while you work on another. Live Activities require iOS 18 or later, and the Apple Watch side needs watchOS 11 or later, so if you've been putting off the update this is a decent reason to install it.

The Apple TV app jump

One tap inside Apple Sports takes you to the Apple TV app, where it surfaces which connected streaming services are carrying the match. Whether that is useful depends on your country: some World Cup matches will be on free-to-air broadcasters, others behind paywalls. But having the routing happen in a single place rather than across half a dozen apps is a quietly good idea. It is also the kind of integration only Apple can really do, because the Apple TV app already knows what you subscribe to.

What's still missing

A couple of caveats worth flagging. Apple Sports still does not include in-app video clips or highlights, so if you miss a goal you're going to the broadcaster's app or YouTube. The league coverage outside football is also still patchy in newly added markets, so if your sport of choice is rugby, cricket or basketball, check the league list before you commit.

The Apple News tie-in is the most obvious gap. Adding the app to 90+ new countries while keeping Apple News on a four-country list means a lot of users will see a feature in marketing that they cannot actually use.

Should you install it?

If you watch any sport regularly, yes. Apple Sports does not try to replace BBC Sport, Sky Sports or ESPN. It is a glanceable scoreboard with smart notifications, and the World Cup is exactly the kind of event it was built for. Set up your team, turn on Live Activities, and the tournament basically follows you around your devices for the next month.

You can download Apple Sports for free on the App Store. The full announcement is on Apple Newsroom.

FAQ

Which countries got Apple Sports in this update?

Apple hasn't published a country-by-country list, but the app is now live in more than 170 countries and regions in total, with more than 90 of those being new as of this rollout. The fastest way to check is to search "Apple Sports" on the App Store in your region.

Do I need an Apple TV or Apple One subscription to use Apple Sports?

No. The app itself is free and the core scores, stats and Live Activities features do not require any subscription. A subscription only matters if you tap through to watch a match on a streaming service that requires one.

Will Apple Sports show every World Cup 2026 match?

Yes for scores, stats, lineups and brackets. Watching the matches themselves still depends on whichever broadcaster or streaming service holds the rights in your country.