The World Cup 2014 is upon us, but will you be able to watch it? Perhaps the matches are on TV too late, or you might be working. These Windows Phone apps should help you stay up-to-date with the goals, scorers and final results.

The World Cup On Your Windows Phone

The FIFA World Cup 2014 can be enjoyed around the world, although for some of us the timing of the matches will be unfortunate.

Windows Phone users can follow the tournament with a collection of apps, which I tested on my Nokia Lumia 920, running Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview. Delivering all of the relevant news, scores and even streamed matches, these are the apps you should have installed to enjoy the competition from start to finish.

2014 World Cup

To get started, make sure you won't miss the matches of this year's World Cup, for which this free app is ideal. Not only does it display a competition calendar, it also provides details of all teams, players and their history in the competition.

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It's a comprehensive collection, one that also includes a list of stadiums and referees, as well as a statistics page for sharing those unusual facts and figures about the tournament.

Best of all, the app offers push notifications, lockscreen updates and localization options that let you specify where you are, so that the correct TV stations are displayed for watching.

Soccer Scores Live

You might be fast asleep; you might be in a meeting. Whatever is keeping you from watching the crucial match, Soccer Scores Live will update you whenever there is news, complete with a text commentary.

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With this free app installed you'll be able to enjoy all of the latest scores from any competition – you probably won't want to delete it after the Brazil 2014 tournament ends.

Similarly useful score and fixture-based apps include Forza Football, also free, while SofaScore LiveScore has renamed itself to celebrate the World Cup. This app also provides football scores, fixtures and tables from around the world. You might even rely on the ESPNFC app, but Soccer Scores Live has a bit of an edge, we think.

Streamed Football Matches

Apparently 85% of football fans will be watching the World Cup online, and with WiFi and 4G connections this is a great way to make the most out of your bandwidth.

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Where you're based will determine whether or not you can get the matches streamed to your phone, as such apps are usually region blocked. For instance, in the UK TV Catchup is a good, free option, especially if the BBC iPlayer app isn't streaming games.

In the USA, apps like MyTotalTV – a sort of American TV Catchup – is a top choice. After setting up an account you can use this free app to view a selection of TV shows from around the world, and during the FIFA World Cup 2014 this will mean you should be able to find exactly what you're looking for.

For the best results with streaming football matches during the World Cup, check your national TV stations to see if they provide an app for Windows Phone 8 that supports streaming and can be used to enjoy matches. It is worth mentioning that some TV streaming apps might not be entirely legal, with complicated licensing concerns. As such, we recommend sticking to approved apps wherever possible.

One option that is closed to you at present is streaming across your local network, perhaps using a PC with a TV card and VLC Media Player. You would need a suitable VLC app on your phone that supports the s-out protocol, something that is currently absent from Windows Phone 8.

This collection of apps should be all you need to enjoy the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil this summer. You'll get live scores sent to your phone as the goals go in, an encyclopedia of event information at your fingertips and the right apps to stream the matches you can't see on TV.

Time to stop reading and start installing – the game's about to begin!

Image Credits: foot on top of soccer ball Via Shutterstock