To follow favorite football player updates properly, add the player himself to a scores app with player-level alerts, then add his club and national team as separate follows. After that, check both against the official calendars of the league, the federation and the club. Following the player alone is not enough, because most apps will not warn you about an international match unless the national team is on your list too.
What do you need before you start?
You need three things: a scores app that supports player follows, the names of the player’s club and national team, and a few official sites to cross-check against. The summer 2026 World Cup has just finished and players are back with their clubs, so many fans are now trying to follow stars they only discovered recently. That makes it a good moment to set this up cleanly.
- A scores app. Flashscore, theScore and OneFootball all let you follow players, while Soccerway has not (see the table below).
- Official sources. The club website, the league, the national federation, FIFA and UEFA.
- Optional extra reading. A general sports page such as the W88 can sit alongside these as another place to browse football and sports coverage. Check what it offers in your region before relying on it.
How do you follow a player step by step?
The process takes about five minutes. The exact menus differ by app, but theScore’s own walkthrough is a good model.
- Open the favorites area. In theScore this is the “favorites” tab.
- Search for the player. Use the search icon and type the full name, then pick the right profile. Shared surnames are common, so check the club and country shown.
- Tap the star. In theScore this registers push alerts. In Flashscore, adding the player to Favourites does the same job.
- Choose alert types. In theScore, the bell icon lets you pick breaking news, every goal or every assist. Flashscore can also notify you about starting or substitute status, goals, red cards, match ratings and transfers.
- Add the club separately. This covers league and cup fixtures even on days the player does not feature.
- Add the national team separately. Football Fixtures, for example, lets you add national teams such as Brazil, Spain or Argentina. This is the step people most often skip.
- Cross-check the calendars. Compare the dates in the app with the official club and federation fixture lists.
I call steps 5 to 7 the “two calendars, one player” rule. A player’s profile in an app shows you what he does, but only the club and national team entries show you when his teams play.
Which apps actually let you follow individual players?
Not all of them do, and the limits matter. Most “best football apps” lists focus on following teams and rarely say what happens when you want one specific player. This is what the sources show.
| App | Player follows | Notes from the sources |
|---|---|---|
| Flashscore | Yes, up to 100 players | Android and iOS from version 25.8. Alerts include lineups, goals, red cards, ratings and transfers. |
| theScore | Yes | Star icon for push alerts, bell icon to choose breaking news, goals, assists and red cards. |
| OneFootball | Yes | Follow teams, leagues and players. Separate alerts for goals, kick-off and full-time, cards, substitutions and key news. |
| Soccerway | Not at the time of its FAQ | Up to 200 teams and 200 matches in Favourites. Following a league does not mean alerts for every match. |
Treat the table as a starting point, because apps change features often. The Soccerway answer in particular comes from an undated FAQ, and the OneFootball descriptions come partly from older coverage, so check the current version of each app yourself.
Ảnh: Tadpolefarm, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How do you keep notifications useful instead of overwhelming?
Turn on only the alerts you would actually stop what you are doing for. For one player, that usually means the lineup, goals, red cards and transfer news. Leave out ratings and substitutions unless you want a running commentary on every match.
If you watch matches on delay or in a different time zone, look for a spoiler setting. FollowScores, for instance, offers delayed notifications to match your broadcast, and it can filter alerts by competition such as the Champions League, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga. Also check broadcast rights for your region before you plan to watch, since the app tells you when a game is on but not where you can legally see it.
What should you do when your player changes club or joins the national team?
Follow the player, not just the badge. If he moves, the player follow keeps working, but the old club entry will still send alerts. Remove it and add the new club. Flashscore can send transfer alerts for a followed player, though a transfer rumor in an app is not a confirmed deal.
For national team duty, add the country as a separate follow, and keep in mind that a player often has two identities. Erling Haaland, for example, is listed by theScore with Norway and Manchester City. Always confirm current club details on the club’s own site, as such lists can go out of date quickly.
What mistakes do people make, and how do you avoid them?
- Following only the player. You miss fixtures where he is not announced to play, and you may miss international matches entirely. Fix: add the club and the country.
- Assuming a league follow equals match alerts. Soccerway’s FAQ says it does not. Fix: follow the specific teams or matches.
- Turning everything on. Too many alerts get muted by habit. Fix: keep four or five alert types.
- Trusting one source for injuries and transfers. Apps summarize and sometimes lag. Fix: check the club site, the league or UEFA and FIFA pages. A broader sports page, such as the one at https://w88.inc, can serve as an extra reference point for general coverage, but it does not replace official confirmation.
- Using a stale guide. Some app tutorials still ranking date back years. Fix: check the app’s current version.
FAQ
Can I follow a player if my app only supports teams?
Yes, but indirectly. Follow his club and national team, and check the squad news on the club site to see whether he is in the matchday squad.
How do I find national team fixtures during an international break?
Use the national team follow in your app, then confirm dates and times on the website of the relevant federation, FIFA or UEFA. I could not confirm the exact October and November 2026 schedule, so check the official pages directly.
The shift in apps from following teams to following individuals is worth watching. As more apps add player-level alerts, the weak spot is likely to remain the same: the app knows what your player did, but you still need the official calendars to know where he will be next.
