FIFA, Soccer Apps See Surge Amid World Cup Mania

The World Cup has been underway for a little over a week, and full on soccer obsession has gripped the world. As a result, apps related to the most popular sport in the world have seen a major uptick in downloads since the tournament began.

According to AppFigures, the official FIFA app didn’t see much interest from users in the United States as recently as May, ranking below number 400 in terms of the most popular apps available. By June, however, the ranking for the FIFA app jumped up all the way to the top of the charts, where it’s been holding steady since.

Other territories saw similar spikes. Interestingly, Brazil – the World Cup’s host country this year – saw a huge drop off in late April, and then a major uptick in late May as the tournament approached. And Costa Rica, for some reason, has maintained a relatively steady interest in the app for the last two months.

Meanwhile, apps for actually watching the games themselves – watchESPN and Univision, in addition to the FIFA app – also saw some solid spikes in popularity that coincide with the run up to the World Cup. That shows that people are excited to catch the games wherever they can, and the connectivity allowed by apps and smart devices is giving people more chances to watch soccer than ever before.

But what else does this news tell us? If you want your app to succeed, target a huge event. Don’t be surprised to see similar spikes for apps with the words “March” and “madness” to occur next time the annual NCAA basketball tournament rolls around…

[Source: AppFigures]