Google celebrates the World Cup

The quickest way to get live scores and schedules is to just do a Google search for world cup.  And in case you hadn’t heard there is a little easter egg on the bottom of the page.

You can also follow your team directly with a Google Chrome extension. “Get a live feed of FIFA World Cup results, news and match statistics and if you’re supporting a particular team, personalise the gadget for alerts of goals scored by your team as they happen.”  You can also install an iGoogle Gadget.

YouTube has a partnership with ESPN advertising the coverage in the US masthead and of course a logo change.  YouTube is always a great place for updated user-generated content from the events as well.  And don’t forget YouTube’s Street Soccer which chronicles legendary Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids on his Street Soccer Tour for Charity from Amsterdam, London and Paris and to eight cities in Senegal, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrYoDmXkuBM&w=600&h=400]

There are more than a few Android Market apps for following events.

Google (GOOG) Street View has all of the stadiums lined up (including Soccer City in Johannesburg, Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane and Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban) and even a few elephants as well.  You can also zoom around the host cities and stadiums in 3D, or just explore South Africa in Google Maps.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eHztSoJXkk&w=600&h=400]

Need to find a place to watch a game?  Head over to Google Maps and put in your city name to find a venue playing the big game.

If you are a Picasa/Picnik user, you can dress up your Wold Cup photos with football-themed photo effects.

Did I miss anything?