A lot has changed since the last World Cup, and Google is showcasing what AI in Search and Gemini can do to be your guide during the world tournament. To celebrate, Google is even making some AI Mode features free for a limited time.
Group A kicks off on June 11, so Google has put together a few ceremonious changes to the Search app, AI Mode in Search, and Gemini for the World Cup. The company did the same thing several years back in 2022 for the event, but the features weren’t nearly as capable as they are now.
The first changes Google notes don’t come as a big surprise. The live sports standings page gets a small revamp to make following across multiple matches easier. A new FIFA-branded bar will appear above the current match you’re looking at. That’ll show you several other matches you may want to watch, and what time they air.
Notably, the “TV & streaming” card shows icons of the available broadcasting services – spoiler alert, it’s Fox, again. The general card UI and capability is the same.
Google also notes that score animations will appear in real time. We already know there are at least three animations, ranging from a goal scored, win celebration, and red card shown.
Google is pushing more complex UI elements into AI Mode, too. At least, with Gemini 3 Pro models.
Google’s post notes that users will be able to ask tactical World Cup questions and expect interactive visuals to make the concept a little easier to understand. In testing, Gemini 3 Pro does a good job of this, but the result we got had a different color scheme with defenders and attackers show in different colors. Normally, that would signify two separate teams. It’s it’s developed on request, so it makes sense that it isn’t perfect every time.
It’s a good feature for Google to have on hand for the World Cup, especially for the home fans who want to get deeper into soccer but find play a little confusing to follow. The interactive UI elements will appear using Pro models in AI Mode, but Google says that they’ll be free for everyone “this summer.” How long that period will last, or whether it will only last as long as the World Cup, we’re not sure.
You can ask AI Mode to create an interactive visual that’s tailored to your specific question. These generative UI capabilities are currently available for AI Mode Pro and Ultra subscribers and will be available for everyone in Search this summer, free of charge.
Google also mentions that the Gemini app has been improved and will reference live games and news with the latest scores and standings. Users will see more visual elements to break up walls of text.
For certain topics, Gemini can generate new visual elements — such as stats, images and videos highlighting up-to-date information on the latest action across soccer games — transforming standard text responses into a visual, dynamic matchday hub.
Google’s new post also mentions World Cup-themed Nano Banana templates designed to “turn yourself into a player on your favorite team.” These changes will roll out globally in the coming days, hopefully before the tournament kicks off.
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