Twitter and Facebook are gearing up to attract even more visitors by offering apps and messages directly from the soccer fields of Brazil.
On Tuesday, Facebook is adding new features to soccer help fans follow the World Cup, which takes place in Brazil from June 12 to July 13.
"Trending World" Cup is a dedicated hub for fans on Facebook to follow the tournament as it unfolds. It includes
the latest scores and highlights from the matches; a special feed with real-time posts from friends and updates from relevant players and teams and; an interactive map that shows where fans of some of the top players are located around the world.
In addition, starting Thursday, Facebook users can share the specific match they’re watching during the World Cup by tapping the smiley icon before they share a post and select "watching."
The company is also launching a page called FacebookRef, where fans can see commentary about the matches from "The Ref," Facebook's official tournament commentator.
The World Cup hub will also be available on so-called "feature phones," although the section will be "lighter" in terms of graphics.
Twitter also touted in a blog post last week that the "the only real-time #WorldCup global viewing party will be on Twitter, where you can track all 64 matches, experience every goal and love every second, both on and off the pitch."
Fans can follow individual teams or players and use the hashtag #WorldCup to tweet about the matches, and follow official accounts such as @FIFAWorldCup, @ussoccer for the United States team and @CBF_Futebol for Brazil's soccer governing body, for example.