2018 World Cup: Google Doodle Celebrates World Cup Kick-Off In Russia

Google Doodle is an artistic expression of Google's logo on the search engine's homepage. Google often creates a doodle to commemorate a popular figure's birthday, a holiday, an anniversary, or some other significant event. The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Russia on today and to mark the beginning of the quadrennial event, Google on Thursday published the first in a series of doodles celebrating the talent and diverse cultures of each of each participating country. A new doodle will appear every day of the month-long tournament, drawn by artists from each country illustrating what football looks like in that country.

A total of 32 teams from around the globe will be competing in the tournament that concludes on July 15 and Thursday's doodle incorporates elements from an artist of each participating country, offering a sneak peek of the diverse artwork to come.

The biggest sporting competition on the planet will be played across 12 venues in 11 cities around Russia. While 20 of the teams are making repeat appearances, including defending champions Germany, there are also some first-timers, including Iceland and Panama.

The opening game will be played between host Russia and Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. An opening ceremony before the match will feature Will Smith singing Live It Up, the official anthem of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

As far as Google Doodles are concerned, the first one was created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin on August 20, 1998, to commemorate the Burning Man Festival of that year that they both attended. The doodle was meant to remind Google users that they were absent.

Topics mentioned in this article

Russia Saudi Arabia Germany 2018 FIFA World Cup Football