The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ is getting closer – 46 days to go!

In less than two months' time – on 14 June, to be precise – the 21st FIFA World Cup™ kicks off at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, as the hosts take on Saudi Arabia.​

That leaves us plenty of time to enjoy a countdown. Between now and the start of the World Cup, we will take a closer look at a different statistic from the history of the tournament each day.​​

46 Back in 1946, the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy was renamed the Jules Rimet Cup in honour of the serving FIFA President at the time. The Frenchman had been the principal driving force behind the creation of the World Cup, whose inaugural edition was held in Uruguay in 1930.

Inspired by the success of the Olympic Football Tournaments in 1924 and 1928, Rimet used all his powers of persuasion and his contagious passion to convince the FIFA Congress and host nation to organise the finals, while also convincing 12 nations to travel to Montevideo for what would become the global event we all know today.

In 1946, his peers decided to pay homage to this visionary, who was then celebrating the 25th year of what remains the longest mandate at the head of world football's governing body (1920-1954).