The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ is getting closer – 74 days to go!

In less than three 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.

74 When Brazil took possession of the Jules Rimet Trophy after winning their third title at the 1970 FIFA World Cup™ in Mexico, FIFA commissioned a new Trophy for the tenth global finals in 1974. Artists from seven countries submitted a total of 53 designs for the new cup, with Italian sculptor Silvia Gazzaniga’s work ultimately winning the vote.

“The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world," said Gazzaniga, describing his creation. "From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory.”

The FIFA World Cup Trophy remains in FIFA’s possession at all times and cannot be won outright by a country.

The current Trophy is 36.8cm high, crafted from solid 18-carat gold and weighs exactly 6.175kg. The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite, while the underside of the Trophy is engraved with the name of every FIFA World Cup™ winner since 1974.