Google continues to celebrate the ongoing 2018 World Cup with a new Google Doodle marking Day 13 of the tournament for Tuesday, June 26.
Day 13 will indeed see a number of notable matches between Australia, Peru, Nigeria, Argentina, Denmark, France, Iceland and Croatia as the Group Stage rapidly winds down.
The upcoming matches will be critical in determining which teams advance to the Knockout Stage as the opening round enters its final days.
Lionel Messi’s Argentinian squad will soon have to fight for survival against Nigeria on Day 13
The day will be vital for a number of teams facing do-or-die situations with the next stage of the World Cup on the line. Australia, with just one point so far, is fighting for life as the final days of the Group Stage wind down. Facing off against them is Peru, having already been eliminated earlier in the tournament.
Artists from all 32 competing World Cup nations have been enlisted by Google for doodles
Denmark and France are also scheduled to clash, with both teams already having secured berths for the Knockout Stage. Nigeria vs. Argentina is another critical upcoming match as Lionel Messi and his Argentinian squad are desperately fighting to stave off elimination and a stunning early exit from the tournament.
Iceland vs. Croatia will also face off, with a dominant Croatia already having advanced to the next stage and Iceland hanging on by a thread as they face Luka Modric and Croatia’s powerful offense.
Iceland will face a very tough battle against Luka Modric and Croatia in their upcoming match
World Cup Google Doodle Day 13
Keeping with tradition for this iteration of the World Cup, Google has enlisted notable artists from all 32 competing countries to interpret what football means to them and create Google Doodles in the global tournament’s honor.
Rune Fisker, the artist for Denmark, states that he hopes people take away ‘joy and excitement that we Danes feel for football (and our bikes!)’.
Likewise, when asked about what football meant for his country, French artist Helene Leroux states that the sport is ‘something we have in our heart since childhood’ and that it’s always ‘an opportunity for people to gather to either play or cheer for their team’.
Croatian artist Vedran Klemens just says exuberantly that the sport is ‘Croatia’s favorite pastime’, when asked what it means to the European nation that’s already advanced to the Knockout Stage.
Nigeria vs. Argentina will see Lionel Messi’s squad fight to avoid a disappointing early exit
Nigerian artists Ifesinachi Orjiekwe and Yinafowei Harrison expressed that football means much more than a game, citing the unifying powers of the world’s most popular sport.
‘Football to Nigerians means a lot more than a game — it’s love, and more importantly a way of life. Only football can bring people of different tribes and ethnic groups together under one roof,’ they said.
Argentinian artist Gaston Pacheo also hailed the fact that the sport brings people together in the country that produced legends like Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
He states: ‘Football is the most popular sport in our country and the one that people are most passionate about. There’re plenty of rituals around it, traditions and even cábalas.
‘It brings lots of expectations and excitement to the air and it’s also a way to bring people together.’
Australia will look to stay alive in the 2018 World Cup in their upcoming match against Peru
For what football means to Peru, artist Andrea Galecio responded succinctly yet powerfully, conveying the importance of the sport to the South American nation.
‘Joy with passion. Maximum emotion. A united nation,’ Galecio states.
What is a Google Doodle?
A Google Doodle is a change to Google’s homepage performed on a temporary basis in order to highlight holidays, special events, people, notable achievements and the like.
The company’s first doodle was created to recognize the Burning Man festival back in 1998. At first designed by Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, they were later created by outside contractors before an in-house team called Doodlers was established to create them on a regular basis.
Major holidays like Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween are often commemorated with special Google Doodles. In recent years, they’ve also been created in order to honor individuals like Dame Cicely Saunders and Octavia E. Butler as well as events like the 2018 Winter Paralympics.