FIFA has announced the slogans chosen by fans to adorn the official buses of the 32 teams at this summer’s World Cup in Russia. Hosts Russia will have the uplifting ‘Play with an open heart’ on their bus.
The initiative was launched as part of World Cup sponsor Hyundai’s ‘Be There With Hyundai’ competition, and saw fans send in their slogan suggestions before they were voted on by members of the FIFA Club community.
In launching the scheme, FIFA had asked for “creative, catchy and positive slogans” that would capture the world’s imagination at this summer’s footballing showpiece in Russia.
The 32 winning entries have now been announced, and the slogans will be written in either the language of the nation or in English.
They range from the straightforward – such as Saudi Arabia’s “Desert Knights” slogan – to the more enigmatic, such as Uruguay’s offering: “The sun shines in Russia, the sky is all light blue”, which in Spanish plays on the word for ‘light blue’ (celeste), which is also the national team’s nickname.
Some of the slogans reference geographical features, such as Panama’s “The Force of Two Seas”, while Switzerland’s linguistic specifics are reflected in its slogan of “Four Languages, One Nation”.
Brazil are among the nations to have the population size incorporated into their motivational mantra, and “More than 5 stars, 200 million hearts” will be the phrase that adorns the bus of the Samba Boys.
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Some slogans are aimed at being more rousing, with England set to have “Send Us Victorious” in a nod to the national anthem – emblazoned on the bus that will transport Harry Kane and Co. around Russia.
Argentina – often seen as a team centered on the talents of Barcelona star Lionel Messi – will have the unifying “Together for a dream” written on their team bus.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will have the cryptic “The past is glory, the present is history” emblazoned on their official transport.
Some of the smaller nations in Russia this summer have hinted at their modest size but big hearts, with the winning Croatian slogan being “Small country, big dreams”.
Iceland – which with a population of 330,000 will become the smallest nation ever to compete at the World Cup – will have the phrase “Let’s make our dream come true” to inspire the team.
The full list of winners is on the official FIFA website. The World Cup kicks off in Russia on June 14, and will be held at 12 stadiums in 11 host cities. The final will take place at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on July 15.
