FIFA + – the free OTT streaming service announced by the international governing body for football – is now available worldwide, including in India. Launched as a streaming platform unlike Disney + Hotstar and Amazon Prime, the service offers you exclusive content including documentaries and features for Ronaldinho, Dani Alves, Ronaldo Nazario, Romelu Lukaku, Carly Lloyd and many more. You can also check live stats and updates for ongoing matches. FIFA + users will have access to live domestic league games, including access to more than 29,000 men’s matches and 11,000 women’s matches, according to FIFA.
Here’s what you need to know about FIFA +, how to access the service and what is currently available for viewing on the platform.
What is FIFA +?
The newly announced FIFA + service is a digital platform designed to provide access to live football matches, interactive games, news, tournament information and other video content from every corner of the globe. FIFA is calling the service a way to “democratize” football. Features of the site appear to be completely free at this time and are supported by promotions for official FIFA sponsors.
FIFA + app on an Android smartphone
Photo Credit: Screenshot / FIFA +
How to access FIFA +
Access to FIFA + streaming services is free for all users. Football enthusiasts can sign up on the official website and create a FIFA ID to log in to the service. You only need to provide an email and a password to sign up However, Gadget 360 was able to access some content without registering for an account.
FIFA + is already available across the web and on mobile devices Users can access FIFA + content on the official website or download the official app for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. There is no fee to sign up or access the content because the service is free to stream.
Currently, the content is available in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish – FIFA says six more languages will be added in June.
FIFA + Match Center, Gaming & News
You can access a variety of competitions for both men’s and women’s soccer and plenty of information across all six confederations. This includes match statistics, including recent results, live match scores, group tables, and more. You can also access FIFA + Trivia, which lets you test your football knowledge, from the most iconic players to the captains of various World Cup teams.
Match Center in FIFA + gives you shot-by-shot updates of live matches as well as old events.
Photo Credit: Screenshot / FIFA +
The news section lets you read football stories and news features or watch match highlights. This section seems to have been updated with the latest football news of the day, with highlights of recent matches. FIFA + also has a section dedicated to women’s football, the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, and more news from the FIFA + archives.
Streaming content currently available in FIFA +
At launch, FIFA + has more than eight video titles to watch, including Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World, a 90-minute film about the story of the player’s life becoming the most popular off the streets of Brazil. All-time soccer player, Croatia: Defining a Nation, a feature-length documentary on a group of friends who have become world famous in the face of extreme adversity.
In addition to documentaries and features, FIFA + allows you to access Captain’s Season 1, an eight-episode series set against the backdrop of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. You can follow Croatia, Jamaica, Lebanon and its six captains. Brazil, as they lead their team through the World Cup. There is also the Dani Crazy Dream, a six-episode documentary series featuring Dani Alves and the Golden Boot, a four-episode documentary on the FIFA World Cup’s top goal scorers.
Icons is a five-episode documentary dedicated to each of the women who changed the game of football. You can see the stories of Wendy Renard, Lucy Bronze, Assassin Oshola, Carly Lloyd and Sam Kerr, narrated by yourself.
FIFA + gives viewers the opportunity to watch exclusive documentaries on iconic football players
Photo Credit: Screenshot / FIFA +
If you want to see some light-hearted content featuring your favorite football stars, you can also check out an original eight-part documentary HD Cutz with barber Sheldon Edwards. The series discusses fashion, food, music and a small amount of football, and the first episode features Manchester United stars Paul Pogba and Aaron Van Besaka.
Live match streaming and FIFA + archive
FIFA + has ambitious plans to stream content and bring unchanged competition from around the world in men’s, women’s and youth football. You can already stream lots of live match content from the website. The quality of the video stream is automatically adjusted depending on your internet connection, as is the case with all OTT apps. According to FIFA, by the end of 2022, users will be able to access 40,000 live games each year from the 100 member associations of all six federations.
The streaming platform lets you relive some of the best moments in football, with access to over 2,000 hours of archival content in the FIFA + archive. These include full-match replays, highlights, goals and more, with access to more than 2,500 videos dating back to the 1950s, which seems to be a good choice for reviving nostalgic memories of football over the years. The match currently featured in the FIFA + Archive is a complete replay of the final match between Italy and Germany from the 1982 Men’s World Cup.