World Cup 2018 kicks off with Google Doodle showcasing cultures of the 32 teams
THE best and biggest show on Earth is finally here.
32 countries are competing for the World Cup in Russia, bringing together diverse cultures for a festival of sport lasting just over a month. And it's been celebrated with a Google Doodle.
What's the World Cup Google Doodle?
Google Doodles are showcasing artistic talent from each country taking part at the World Cup tournament in Russia.
Thirty-two teams are taking part in the event which kicks off on June 14.
Every nation is represented by an artist who will have their work showcased on the Google homepage during the football competition.
The first, published on Thursday, June 14, celebrates the talent and culture of each participating teamm.
How many World Cup Google Doodle's will there be?
Each day of the tournament there will be a new Doodle from a different nation and artist.
They are designed to celebrate the talent and diverse cultures of each of the participating countries, with each showing what football means to the people of that respective nation.
The first Doodle of the tournament has been produced for the big kick-off between Russia and Saudi Arabia - and incorporates elements from all 32 artists.
WORLD CUP LATEST
What is a Google Doodle?
In 1998, the search engine founders Larry and Sergey drew a stick figure behind the second 'o' of Google as a message to that they were out of office at the Burning Man festival and with that, Google Doodles were born.
The company decided that they should decorate the logo to mark cultural moments and it soon became clear that users really enjoyed the change to the Google homepage.
In that same year, a turkey was added to Thanksgiving and two pumpkins appeared as the 'o's for Halloween the following year.
Now, there is a full team of doodlers, illustrators, graphic designers, animators and classically trained artists who help create what you see on those days.
Among the Doodles published in 2018 were ones commemorating cartographer Abraham Ortelius, Egyptian actor Omar Sharif and St Patrick's Day.
Earlier in the year, the search giant celebrated the Paralympics in 2018 in Pyeongchang with an animated design celebrating each of the sports the winter Paralympians will compete in.