Like him or hate him, Russian President Vladimir Putin showed some slick football skills in FIFA's video to mark the 100 day countdown to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Putin got the 100th touch in a video montage featuring football legends playing keepy-uppy, because, after all, he will play host to the tournament, come June.
In exactly 100 days, Russia will take on Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the World Cup in Moscow. The tournament will start on June 14 and go all the way up to July 15.
It will be the 21st edition of the quadrennial tournament, last won by Germany in 2014.
Teams
Of the 32 teams, Iceland and Panama will make their first appearances in a World Cup. Four-time champions Italy failed to qualify, as did the Netherlands.
Group A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay
Group B: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
Group C: France, Australia, Peru, Denmark
Group D: Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea
Group G: Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England
Group H: Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan
Though the later stages of the tournament are sure to produce some high-voltage clashes between heavyweights, there are some drool-worthy fixtures as early as the group stage.
Portugal will take on Spain in Group B on June 15, while England will play Belgium in a Group G game on June 28.
Venues
The games will be held in 12 venues, across 11 cities—Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Ekaterinburg, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod and Volvograd.
The final will be played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. All venues, barring one, are in European Russia, in a bid to reduce travel time.
Talking money
The champions will get prize money of $38 million, while the runners-up will get $28 million. Those are the major chunks of the $400 million to be doled out by FIFA to the 32 participating teams.
The Russian government have or will spend $10 billion in preparation for the event, including a major overhaul of the transport systems for fans who come from all over the globe.
Talking points and controversies
The biggest talking point in recent weeks has been the announcement that the video assistant referee (VAR) system of reviewing referee decisions will be used at the World Cup.
The highly controversial system will make its first appearance at a FIFA event, in a giant leap towards technological assistance in the sport.
Russia's winning bid to host the tourney, back in 2010, was also riddled with controversy after allegations emerged of then FIFA president Sepp Blatter rigging the bidding process in Russia's favour.
Though none of it has been proved, it was this allegation that sparked enquiries later on that led to the massive corruption scandal that rocked the football body and ended in Blatter's removal.
This World Cup will be a first for many rising stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford. But, more importantly, it will, in all probability, be the last chance for Lionel Messi (32) and Cristiano Ronaldo (35) to win the one elusive trophy in their impressive cabinets.
Desperate to break the decade-long duopoly that the two have held over the game, is Neymar. But, having recently suffered a long-term injury that will keep him out at least till May, the Brazilian and his doctors are racing against time to bring him back to fitness before the big football fest.
With so much at stake, 100 days seems a long way off.