Zabivaka

Lore & Background

Designed by student designer Ekaterina Bocharova, aged 22, the mascot was selected by internet voting in Russia, beating out a tiger and a cat.

In Their Own Story

The stadium lights hummed as the mascot ran onto the pitch at Luzhniki Stadium before kickoff. Fans cheered not for a player, but for the wolf in the kit. Zabivaka waved to the crowd, bridging the gap between the global spectacle and local pride during that historic summer. The roar of the crowd mixed with the electronic music, creating an electric atmosphere unique to this tournament.

Reader's Guide

The mascot was unveiled on 21 October 2016. It represents an anthropomorphic Eurasian wolf (Canis lupus lupus) with brown and white fur, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "RUSSIA 2018" and orange goggles — according to the designer, these are not ski goggles, but sports goggles like those used in cycling: "Zabivaka is so fast on the field that he needs eye protection". The combination of white, blue and red T-shirt and shorts are the national colours of the Russian team.

Did You Know?

• The competition results were announced on 22 October 2016, in the Evening Urgant on the Channel One Russia.
• The Wolf, named Zabivaka, scored 53% of the votes, ahead of the Tiger (27%) and the Cat (20%).
• More than one million people participated in the voting, which took place during September 2016 at FIFA.com, as well as before and during the live show of the Evening Urgant.
• The name was suggested at the show by the chairman of the World Cup 2018 Organising Committee Vitali Mutko.
• FIFA paid Bocharova $500.