Jakarta, June 4, 2014 - (ANTARA) - The #WorldCup will happen on the pitch, but also on Twitter, giving people the chance to get closer to the action than ever before. Fans can get real-time updates on Twitter from their favourite teams, players, coaches, journalists, celebrities and fellow fans. It is the global viewing party where fans can experience every second of the World Cup, on and off the pitch. This how-to-follow guide gives you everything you will need to all the action as it unfolds:
Twitter XI Dream Team
If Twitter users were picking their starting lineup, the eleven players below would be a good place to start. This team is made up of the most-mentioned player Twitter @handles in the past three months, forming an XI that would surely be the envy of any manager in football, is at http://bit.ly/1pR1PuV.
World Cup teams
Thirty of the 32 nations competing in this year's World Cup have official accounts on Twitter. You can follow all thirty here - https://twitter.com/TwitterSports/wc-2014-team-accts/members; this graphic shows the top six most followed teams are at http://bit.ly/1hyHQ4s.
World Cup players
More than 300 of the players from the 32 competing nations are on Twitter, with representatives of all the competing teams having a presence on the platform - follow them here - https://twitter.com/TwitterSports/fifa-wc-2014-players/members. The top six most followed players at the 2014 World Cup are at http://bit.ly/1ma1nUK.
Follow your favourite country teams and players on Twitter
Twitter and football go hand-in-hand - seven of the ten most talked-about moments on Twitter in 2013 were related to football - https://blog.twitter.com/en-gb/2013/2013-the-year-on-twitter. So fans across the Asia Pacific region can easily use Twitter to follow their favorite country teams and players during the #WorldCup. Here are some interesting Tweets related to the FIFA World Cup from the start of the year to now:
Custom timeline of FIFA World Cup-related Tweets from top teams
https://twitter.com/CBF_Futebol/status/472493599117312001
https://twitter.com/Argentina/status/473901114887532544
https://twitter.com/SeFutbol/status/473873216218611712
https://twitter.com/england/status/441917409247518720
https://twitter.com/Vivo_Azzurro/status/471707111206813697
https://twitter.com/equipedefrance/status/471574471896473601
https://twitter.com/DFB_Team/status/470811499389517824
https://twitter.com/ussoccer/status/473867939599638528
https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/469405621989949441
Custom timeline of FIFA World Cup-related Tweets from top players
https://twitter.com/Cristiano/status/473482810519715840
https://twitter.com/neymarjr/status/464073608810467328
https://twitter.com/WayneRooney/status/469480092461465600
https://twitter.com/MesutOzil1088/status/469124292387823617
https://twitter.com/andresiniesta8/status/473480282679824384
https://twitter.com/VincentKompany/status/468314138322935808
https://twitter.com/Benzema/status/473176145874407424
https://twitter.com/aguerosergiokun/status/468186309849534465
https://twitter.com/gianluigibuffon/status/473815281916456960
https://twitter.com/Persie_Official/status/467000185374408704
Breaking news
Twitter is increasingly used as a tool for breaking news and sharing of exclusive content. Many of the country teams announced their initial and final rosters first on Twitter before anywhere else. In fact, 56% of football fans across the Asia Pacific region said that news breaks fastest on Twitter:
Custom timeline of all squad announcements made on Twitter from the official team handles
https://twitter.com/england/statuses/465838619459321856 (England Team)
https://twitter.com/SeFutbol/statuses/472694545592119296 (Spain team)
https://twitter.com/Argentina/status/473578564638367744 (Argentina Team)
https://twitter.com/ussoccer/statuses/469591998039863296 (US team)
https://twitter.com/Vivo_Azzurro/status/466268158811443200 (Italy team)
https://twitter.com/KNVB/status/472698804438052864 (Netherlands team)
https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/473810076273098752 (Australia team)
Hashtags
The official hashtags for the 2014 World Cup are #WorldCup and #Brazil2014. Hashtags join conversations together on Twitter, so follow along to keep close to the action, or use them in your own Tweets to join the global conversation.
Official accounts
To be sure you're receiving the most reliable, up-to-the-minute World Cup news, this selection of verified accounts is a great place to start. You'll see real-time updates from organisations including:
- @FifaWorldCup - The official source for all things World Cup
- @Fifacom - Follow for news from the international football federation
- @Brazuca - The official match ball
>> TWEETABLE QUOTE: Follow the #WorldCup on Twitter for real-time updates on and off the pitch.
Twitter and Sport
When big events happen in the real world, they happen on Twitter, too - and never is that truer than with big televised sporting events. For sports fans watching the match, Twitter is the second screen to TV broadcast. It creates a space for live commentary in the moment, from fans and experts alike, across sports. Recent global research from @Nielsen reveals that:
- 50% of Tweets about TV in 2013 were related to sports
- 492 million Tweets sent in 2013 were about sports events
- 12 of the top 20 tweeted events on Twitter in 2013 were sporting events
- There were 1.7 million Tweets about the World Cup draw globally in two hours
Across the Asia Pacific region, research from @globalwebindex shows that Twitter is the perfect companion for World Cup 2014:
- 83% of Twitter users in Asia Pacific will be watching the World Cup
- 87% of Twitter users in Asia Pacific will be watching live matches on TV
- 82% of Asia Pacific users use Twitter for something related to football
- Nearly half (46%) of people on Twitter in Asia Pacific follow football clubs
- 56% of football lovers in Asia Pacific say that news breaks fastest on Twitter
56% of Asia Pacific users tweet when there is a goal, and 62% tweet after the match. See attached infographic.
When we compared Twitter users' football behaviour across the region, we discovered these amazing insights:
Twitter users are big football fans
1. South Korean Twitter users (94%) will be watching the most live football this summer as they are very passionate about their national team.
2. Indonesian Twitter users (95%) will be the most glued to their TV sets to watch the live matches, with 64 matches in total.
Football is a social event for Twitter users
3. Indonesian Twitter users are most likely to watch football at home (94%), while Singaporean Twitter users are the most likely to get out and watch in a bar or pub (42%).
4. Indian Twitter users are the most social bunch planning to watch with friends (83%), while Indonesian Twitter users will watch the most with their partner (54%).
Twitter gets fans closer to the action
5. Indian Twitter users are the most connected to football-related topics (90%), while Indonesians Twitter users are most connected to football clubs (57%).
Twitter is the home for breaking football news
6. Filipino Twitter users love being the most up-to-date on football news which breaks faster on Twitter than anywhere else (73%).
Match day Twitter usage
7. Filipino Twitter users tweet and read the most during the daytime on match days (64%), but Indonesian Twitter users are the most active during and after the matches by tweeting goals scored (67%) and tweeting their post-match reactions (70%).
8. While Brazilian Twitter users score higher than Asian Twitter users on overall football loving behaviour, Asian Twitter users "score" higher engagement during match day usage - reading Tweets from others before the match (58% vs 51%), tweeting goals during the match (56% vs 50%) and tweeting post-match (62% vs 61%).
The FIFA World Cup 2014 will take place from June 12th to July 13th, with the opening match in Sao Paolo between Brazil and Croatia. So be sure to tune in with Twitter for real-time updates on all the action for the 64 matches - track every match, experience every goal, and hear the roar of the crowd. All the drama of #Brazil2014 will unfold on the pitch, but also on Twitter, so you can find fellow fans, follow your team, and love every second of the World Cup on Twitter.
"Follow the World Cup action from APAC on Twitter": http://bit.ly/1kKtusd
"Stay in the game this summer with Twitter
in APAC": http://bit.ly/1kKrOyT.
Media contact:
Melody Uy
Ogilvy Public Relations
On behalf of Twitter Asia Pacific
Tel: +65 6213 6997
melody.uy@ogilvy.com
Editor: PR Wire
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
