Football fans will be able to watch World Cup games via their iPhones following the BBC’s decision to launch an app ahead of the tournament.

The sport app will be launched in June after a news app as the BBC embraces iPhone apps for the first time. It will feature video streaming of all the matches it televises along with on-demand clips of every goal scored.

Following the World Cup, the app will be extended to cover other sports including Formula 1 as the BBC makes the most of all the sports rights it holds. The app will also feature comment and blogs from its presenters.   

The news app will launch in April and feature a breaking news service which ties in with the coverage on the BBC website. It will also incorporate on-demand audio and video content along with features and analysis.

The apps are being developed by mobile agency Mobile IQ following a pitch against 20 other vendors. Shaun Barriball, MD of Mobile IQ, said they would help the BBC distribute its content to wider audiences.

“The iPhone platform gives it an ideal canvas with which to deliver an entirely new consumer experience for news and sport,” he said.   

The BBC also plans to launch BlackBerry and Android apps.