What will be the mascot of the 2018 World Cup – decide the students of Russian universities. A little over a week is left before the end of the second stage of the campaign to create the tournament symbol!

As part of the campaign, the Organizing Committee of the FIFA World Cup in Russia and the welcome2018.com portal presented a video about the mascot of the future tournament. Russian footballers took part in the creation of the video: captain of the national team Roman Shirokov, goalkeeper of the national team Artem Rebrov and midfielder of the national team Denis Glushakov.

This video story focuses on the second stage of the campaign – at this stage, the image of the tournament symbol is invented and drawn by students of art universities throughout the country.

How the competition goes: Tasks, conditions and terms

Earlier, the Organizing Committee extended the deadline for accepting applications from students until November 30. Sketches for the design of the mascot are accepted on the site of the creative competition. 54 universities are involved in the project. After the end of the second stage, the best works will be determined by a special jury, whose composition is still kept secret.

“Our goal is to provide young Russian talents with a chance to prove themselves and gain experience of direct participation in the process of creating a brand for a tournament of such a global scale as the FIFA World Cup. – Thierry Weill, FIFA Marketing Director, said earlier. “For students and their career development, this competition is a unique opportunity to receive a professional design application, offer their ideas and test their talent.”

Students are offered ten characters to choose from – they were chosen by the Russians at a special popular vote: the Amur tiger, the hero, the wolf, the Far Eastern leopard, the firebird, the alien, the astronaut, the cat, the bear and the robot. In addition, the selected character must be provided with certain character traits: the voting participants believe that the talisman should be, among other things, noble, cheerful, hospitable, honest and active. At the final stage of the campaign, the three best works will be put up for an all-Russian vote. The mascot presentation ceremony will take place in the fall of 2016.

This competition is the only chance to create the most famous participant in the FIFA World Cup Russia ™. A championship that the whole world will see. A talisman that millions will love.