The domestic football leagues of Europe and elsewhere are yet to be completed, the finals of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League are still in the offing, but the focus has shifted to even bigger things as the countdown to next month's FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia is well and truly underway.

Yesterday, May 14, was the official last date for submission of provisional squads, but due to the time difference around the world, we will probably have to wait a few more hours to get a clear picture of which players made the cut to the provisional squads of the 32 teams set to compete in the greatest show on earth from June 14 to July 15.

The FIFA World Cup is the time that people all around the world wait eagerly for and every four years they get to see their football icons in action and partake in the joys and heartaches that the beautiful game unfurls over the span of a month.

Bangladesh, despite being a cricket-crazy nation, is not immune to the craze and hysteria of football's showpiece event. On the contrary, the love and passion for the global game reaches such an extreme level during this time that all other sports and events take a distinct back seat.

The passion is evident in flags of favourite teams fluttering on rooftops and balconies, in storms in teacups, television talk shows and binge-watching the games all through the night.

With exactly 30 days left to the start of the tournament, we start our countdown from today with articles, features and analyses of the FIFA World Cup and the 32 teams that will be part of it.