To take part in the World Cup, the main football tournament, you must be among the best players on the planet. For the rest of us, Google has a hidden game to simulate the thrill of scoring goals for your favorite team.
The game is available on mobile devices, so you can play it anywhere, taking your phone or tablet with you. Be careful, though, because it can be addictive and you won’t have to get up at 4am to take part, unlike some of the previous games in Qatar, host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Dubbed Mini Cup, the game can be found on the Google app (available for Android and iOS) or through a Google search on any mobile or app browser. You can access it in various ways. For example:
- Open the Google app and search for “World Cup”.
- Open Google Search in any mobile or app browser, then search for “World Cup”.
- Say “World Cup”to Google Assistant, then click the Google search button below the results to open the query in the Google app or built-in browser.
You can also search for specific information such as World Cup 2022, World Cup Results, World Cup Schedule, Qatar World Cup, etc. If you already know the team you want to play for, search a specific match with them to open a shortcut for that specific game in the mini cup.
After filling in the results, look for the blue button with the soccer ball icon in the lower right corner. Touch it.
If you are looking for a specific match, you will immediately enter this game (left screenshot below). Otherwise, the Mini Cup menu will appear with a list of results and upcoming matches; On the “Play”tab, select your matchup (right screenshot below).
After entering the game, touch the flag of the team you want to represent. A game board featuring a goal and a cartoon goalie (pink cat, blue dog, or orange frog) takes up most of the top half of the screen. In the lower half you will see a soccer ball.
Sweep the ball up in the direction you want to throw it, preferably away from the goalkeeper, who is constantly moving back and forth in front of the goal and increasing his speed with each goal scored. A short hit will hit the ball softly, while a long hit will hit the ball quickly. Keep shooting until the goalkeeper blocks your shot or until you have kicked the ball out of bounds.
At the end you will receive your score for the game. You can share your score with others and also give them a link so they can jump right into the Mini Cup match. Or you can click the “Play Again”button to try again, and subsequent matches will keep track of total goals and best score until you exit the game.
In addition, during the game you can see the national score of each team. Of course, this score will not affect the outcome of a real match, but you will feel that you are helping. Go ahead, team!