– World Cup 2026 has 48 teams (up from 32), hosted by US, Mexico, and Canada.
– Expansion praised for inclusivity, but criticized for diluting competition and increasing player fatigue.
– New “Kick It” watch face turns Wear OS smartwatches into live World Cup scoreboards.
– Users pick a favorite team; watch face shows live scores, standings, and upcoming match info.
– Available in US, UK, Canada, and Japan for Wear OS 6 and above.
FIFA World Cup 2026 is now fully underway
The tournament is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada this time around. An other unusual aspect of the quadrennial event is that it has been expanded to include 48 teams, which is an additional 16 squads over the traditional 32-team format. The controversial move has drawn praise from some corners, who claim that such a change will increase inclusivity among underrepresented nations.
Critical voices have other opinions
Meanwhile the more critical voices suggest that it will dilute overall competitive balance, increase player fatigue, and potentially lower match quality during the group stage. Either way, keeping track of matches and scores may prove bothersome for some people, especially those with busy lives and demanding schedules. In this regard, Facer and Citizen’s Riiiver development team recently launched a free dynamic watch face.
The watch face is called “Kick It”
This new feature turns a Wear OS compatible smartwatch such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 into a live scoreboard for the duration of the World Cup tournament. In the Facer mobile app, users can pick their favorite national team, and then the watch face automatically switches to that country’s official colors and flag. Powered by live data, the face refreshes in real time with match statuses.
Live data provides current scores
You can see current scores, group standings, tournament rankings, and headlines for upcoming games directly on your wrist. The Kick It watch face is now available in the US, UK, Canada and Japan for smartwatches running Google Wear OS 6. Support will likely carry over once Wear OS 7 debuts next month on Samsung’s next-generation hardware from Facer.