Soccer sites score on the Net

Traffic can be overwhelming at times

(CNN) -- The World Cup is in full swing, and soccer fans now have more ways than ever to follow the action. Thanks to the Internet, you don't need to book a flight to host nations Korea or Japan to feel like you're side-by-side with your country's athletes; you can simply log on for the latest.

Defending champion France may be out of the World Cup, and although "Les Bleus" never scored a goal, fans are scoring real-time World Cup coverage with the help of sites like FIFAworldcup.com and Football365.com.

From the latest news and tournament schedules to complete team guides and features, these sites have just about everything the die-hard footballer could want. Can't get to a television? Football365 lets fans follow every game, minute by minute, in the "live action" section.

You can also get current scores on the news ticker, check out the latest gossip, and if you want to play the game yourself, there are links to fantasy soccer (or football for the rest of world).

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You can also play the odds in the site's extensive betting section, but beware that gambling is illegal in several countries.

The site is also loaded with interactive games, chat rooms and facts. And, of course, you can buy all the official World Cup gear.

Another comprehensive site, FIFAworldcup has many of the same features, but adds official match pictures, slideshows and, for a fee, 15 hours of video. Fans can also visit the stadiums where soccer history is being made thanks to 360-degree pictures of the venues.

Fans are flocking to these sites. Traffic at FIFA increased over 400 percent by the start of the first match, and online fans are certain to be entertained at either destination.

Net results

In fact, traffic is so high at some soccer-related sites that users may experience delays in accessing them, or they may not be able to get to get in at all.

"Most news-oriented sites are holding up well," says Ravi Venkatesam, vice president of operations at Atesto Technologies Inc., a Fremont, California-based Web testing and performance management company. "However, a modem user could still experience up to 25-30 seconds of wait time before some pages show up."

Venkatesam adds that any down time for a major World Cup site could result in financial losses or disappoint eager Web surfers.

"It is difficult to know if it is a lack of technical knowledge by Web developers or a lack of understanding of the Internet by organizers of such events," he added. "Either way, the cost of losing revenue, market reputation and faith of fans is very high."

Regardless of the glitches, fans scouring the Web for active soccer updates will undoubtedly go anywhere they can to find what they need.

The only thing that is not certain -- after the sudden departures of favorites Argentina and France -- is who will take home the coveted prize?