Apple’s latest Sports app update is a win for soccer fans everywhere

The World Cup trophy’s already been handed out, but Apple isn’t done pleasing soccer fans just yet. Apple Sports got updated to version 4.2 today, and the whole update is built around one sport (via 9to5Mac).

Since its debut, Apple Sports has steadily picked up features like live play-by-play and standings, along with deeper match insights. On the other hand, the company’s broader sports push has expanded through MLS Season Pass and exclusive content on Apple TV.

So what’s actually new in this update?

With the new update, Apple has added seven new leagues to the app: the Belgian Pro League, Danish Superliga, Dutch Eredivisie, Japanese J1 League, Polish Ekstraklasa, Scottish Premiership, and Swiss Super League (via 9To5Mac).

In my opinion, that’s a genuinely global spread, covering leagues casual fans rarely get easy access to, especially without looking up a niche streaming service. 

Matches across most of these leagues also display starting formations. You can actually see how a team lines up before kickoff instead of guessing it from the running commentary.

Why does this update matter beyond the leagues?

This isn’t happening in a vacuum. For those catching up, Apple TV already streams every MLS match for free, with no additional subscription required. The new MLS season just kicked off days ago.

Combine that with today’s league expansion, and Apple’s clearly pushing toward owning soccer coverage on its platforms year-round, not just during the World Cup season. For anyone who’s been juggling three different apps to follow leagues abroad, this update solves that problem for good. 

For me, Apple’s sports strategy increasingly mirrors its News and TV+ approach, layering free utility on top of paid content to build habit before monetizing further.