World Cup 2018: Forget Paul the Octopus & Achilles the cat. Enter Babushka, SofaScore's human predictor.

We're hours from the official launch of the 2018 FIFA World Cup with the host country, Russia, playing against Saudi Arabia and if you are of the betting type and needs some precog before shelling out money, I strongly recommend you must check with Babushka first. Confused? Let me explain.

Remember Paul the Octopus back at World Cup 2010 who accurately chose the winners of each game and Paul became a star - maybe not for bookies. This year's official soothsayer for the World Cup is Achilles, a deaf,  Russian white cat. He will be presented with bowls marked with playing teams' flag and Achilles first prediction for tonight's inaugural game is naturally Russia. Now, back to Babushka.



Since Paul the octopus, each sports event have had their own animals trying to predict games results, but none have matched Paul's record. Well aware of that fact, SofaScore - my favorite Android sport's app - is bringing in a human predictor called Babushka. According to the SofaScore, "She has lived through almost all of the championships (missed only the first 2), and this will be her 22nd World Cup. So if there's anyone who knows how it's gonna go down - then that's Babushka!" Unlike the 'official' World Cup's animals, Babushka will not only make predictions but also give daily tips and some witty analysis on her YouTube Channel. 

Her first video has been published and, like Achilles the cat, Babushka predicts a Russia win against Saudi Arabia. Whether she gets this right or not, Babushka is just adorable and her pre-games analysis are well thought out. Something animals can't do.

Check out Babushka Tips on SofaScore official YouTube channel and enjoy World Cup 2018.

Live sports score app SofaScore gets new Android 8 notification features, now covers Cycling & FIFA rankings.

Cycling fans rejoice. SofaScore, the popular live sports score app on Android, has been updated today and the team added Cycling to the app. I must admit I am not a fan of cycling, so there’s not much I can write about that sport. The change log itself does not provide any details. If you’re a cycling fan, grab the update in the store to learn more.

This update also makes SofaScore compatible with Android 8.0 Oreo and will provide a completely new notification settings experience. I expect SofaScore to take advantage of the new notifications features Google added to Android 8.

Soccer managers are always the least talked about, unless they’re fired or are Jose Mourinho, the Manchester United coach. In this update, SofaScore is introducing a history chart for managers showing average points and time spent with teams.

SofaScore now also covers FIFA games and will give details on international matches and national teams.

This update, version 5.44.3, also includes the following:

·       More odds are now available in app.

·       ATP series information for tennis tournaments.

·       Information about matches played on neutral ground.

Check out the update in Google Play Store.

FIFA launches its official [World Cup] app for Android.

With the 2014 world cup behind the door, it comes as no surprise to see the world football regulator release its own app for fans worldwide to keep tabs on the event on their phones and tablets. But since the major event is still months away, it does have another purpose and deserves a place on your favorite device now as it provides you with news, stats, live score for the world's top leagues, an all-in-one app for soccer fans around the world. But there's more.

The app will give you access to the FIFA final draw live on December 6 which will determine the fate and path of your national team in the World Cup 2014. The app will also provides access to videos from FIFA TV studios and archives but does not mention live streaming of games.

The FIFA app is free and can be downloaded on Google Play Store. An iOS version is also available.