Meet the Official Mascot for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Zabivaka!

By Heather Taylor

Welcome to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia! Loyal fans of the sporting event may recall that the candidate for Russia’s mascot — then known as “Wolf” — was introduced in 2016. Since his initial debut, more than one million Russians cast their votes during the month-long voting period to pick his name. Wolf was renamed “Zabivaka” after one of the most engaging creative processes for a mascot in FIFA World Cup history.

Zabivaka’s name means “the one who scores” in Russia. He is considered to be the youngest player on the football squad (also known as soccer, for all of our readers based in the United States), but age is just a number to him. He’s fast, bold, and knows the game inside and out. As a mascot, he’s confident and always ready to play and have some fun.

As the official mascot for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, Zabivaka plays an important role in the games. The character is considered an ambassador on behalf of Russia and helps promote the event and entertain crowds at stadiums. A statue of Zabivaka may currently be spotted at Manezhnaya Square in Moscow for travellers and sports enthusiasts to snap a selfie with.

Zabivaka also has an active Facebook account and website, full of activities for visitors around the world. Check out the mascot name generator above to determine what your name would be for the games!