The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ is getting closer – 65 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.

65 the number of Japanese players who have played at the FIFA World Cup™ over the years. Several of them have excelled on the biggest stage of all, not least midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata, who appeared at three world finals, and Keisuke Honda, the scorer of three goals at South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014. The World Cup has launched the international careers of many other Japanese stars, among them Junichi Inamoto, Yasuhito Endo, Shinji Okazaki, and Shunsuke Nakamura. Which new faces will catch the eye when the Samurai Blue step out at Russia 2018?