There’s nothing better than enjoying a sports game with friends, and with the World Cup in Brazil just around the corner, there’s no better excuse to celebrate national pride and cheer on team USA than to throw a party with friends.
To make sure your viewing party kicks off without a hitch, your best bet is to get organized. Luckily, there are plenty of apps that can help you do just that, making your World Cup party as memorable as the games themselves.
Don’t let anyone forget the date
For such an important event, I recommend “formalizing” it somehow. The classic way is to create an event on Facebook or Google+ so that you can include a map of the location and details of the event, especially handy if you want people to bring stuff.
Still, not everyone is on Facebook, and if you want to invite people who aren’t using the social network, try web apps like Doodle , FasterPlan or Congregar. All you have to do is create a user account, fill in the details of the event, and invite your friends, who will receive an e-vite. Theoretically, sending an e-vite makes it harder for friends to ignore because they’ll get plenty of notifications and reminders via email.
Don’t forget anything!
At this point, it’s smart to make a list of everything you have to do to prepare for the party. Apps like Checklist (available on Android, Kindle or online), Wunderlist (on iOS, Android, and web) or To do checklist (for iOS) let you create lists of things to do, which you’ll be able to check off as soon as you do them.
If you’re old school, you can also print off your list of things to do with the web app Printable Checklist.
Enough drinks and food for everyone
Even if you’re going the potluck route, you’ll also want to offer something for friends to nibble on when they arrive. If you want to be a bit more creative than chips and pretzels, you can impress your friends with snacks which are a bit more sophisticated but extremely easy to make.
Apps like Appetizers & Snack Recipes (available on iOS) or Snack Recipes (for Android) can help, offering a list of easy to make snacks to cater to any appetite. If you have a bit more time, you can download an app for lunch or dinner recipes, like the legendary Epicurious (for Android and iOS).
Of course, with food comes drinks. If you love Gin and Tonics or Mojitos but have no idea how to make them, there are free apps that’ll teach you. You’ll find Cocktail Flow for Android and iOS, a step by step guide to the most popular cocktails. One of the great benefits of the app is that it tells you the approximate price of each ingredient so that you can keep your cash flow under control.
If you’ve spent too much on food and drink, it might be a good idea for everyone to chip in for the party, and there are even apps that help do that, creating a communal fund for expenses. Use Leetchi to get your money back from friends with no hard feelings.
A little pre-game soccer atmosphere
You might want to add a little atmosphere to the party before the game starts, and there’s no better way to do it than to try Spotify’s official World Cup playlist, with songs from artists as varied as Shakira, Rita Ora, Queen, Pharrell, Bill Withers, and Bonnie Tyler.
If you’re more interested in getting in on the action yourself, convince your friends to play a few games before the start of the match. FIFA 14 and PES 2014 are ideal for this, especially FIFA’s World Cup edition.
And the whistle blows!
With the help of these apps, all that’s left to do is sit on the couch, eat, drink and enjoy the game!
If you want to follow the entire World Cup tournament, check out our guide for tracking, following, and watching every game using apps.
Follow me on Twitter: @mariabaeta
