It all started on that warm Sunday afternoon on 13th July, 1930 in a Montevideo suburb of Pocitos, in Uruguay. Just over 4,400 people watched as France’s Lucien Laurent score the historical first goal with a powerful shot. That was the first World Cup Football match for Jules Rimet Trophy, named after the-then president of FIFA.
The clocks are ticking again and ticking loud. The football world is again coming together for an unforgettable spectacle of passion and drama. For the month of the iconic global behemoth, headlines will be dominated by countless records and statistics and stories of thrills, spills, heroes and villains, golazo, staggering saves, edge-of-the-seat excitement and the occasional bit of argy-bargy.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia starts in just four days. And Russia will become the largest nation and for the very first time in the history to ever host a World Cup.  Brazil makes their 21st appearance at a World Cup while Iceland and Panama make debut. And for the first time since 1958, will a host country not witness an influx of the Ultras. Fans of Italy were left shocked when their team failed to qualify for the World Cup.  
Described as a wolf who radiates fun, charm and confidence by FIFA’s official site, the wolf named Zabivaka is chosen as the official mascot for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. The brand identity and logo were unveiled by cosmonauts at the International Space Station which was projected onto the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The theme of the World Cup Russia is a dream and the cosmic outer space exploration, enlivened with folk motives featuring Firebirds, Matryoshkas and folk patterns.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is finally here to quell the busiest communities into ghost towns, igniting them a couple of hours later into a frenzy of flags and firecrackers, klaxons and vuvuzelas and car horns.
So contrary to my normal advice, hit the couch, turn on the TV or best find yourself in a lounge and with a large group of people, and share in the riveting experience that it is. For me, fixture lists are already pinned to the wall and TV viewing schedules already mapped out.
The time starts NOW.
Welcome to the world of ‘Nutty’s Infotainment.YAYS!’  And we start with something special for those football fact-hounds in us. 
 For the first time in the history of soccer, the 2002 World Cup was held in two different countries. Name these countries.
South Korea and Japan.


The Telstar 18 football that will be kicked around in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia comes from which Asian country? 
Pakistan. More than 80% of the world’s footballs are manufactured here.


The original Jules Rimet trophy was stolen prior to the 1966 edition and was found after a week of searching by a dog. Name this dog.
Pickles


What geographical feature do these 11 nations exclusively have in common: Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Indonesia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil?
The Equator. It passes through them all.


In November 2017, Paris Hilton claimed that she and Britney Spears invented something 11 years back. What was that?
Selfies


Which year is missing from both the Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar yet present in the astronomical calendar system?
The year zero. (Under those systems, the year 1 BC is followed by AD 1)


What are the Palatine, Aventine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline and Caelian?
The 7 hills of Rome


AkiroKurusowa’s 1985 period tragedy film Ran is a samurai version of which Shakespeare play?
King Lear.
Vladimir Putin was formerly a lieutenant colonel is which infamous organisation?
KGB


In the image below, which brand is advertised in a sidewalk in New York?


(Answer next week. Answer
 to last week’s photo-quiz: 
Peru)