The biggest sporting extravaganza on the planet and one loved with a passion by more people in more countries than any other tournament, the FIFA World Cup arrives in Russia next June for what will be the most watched event of the year. Like the last World Cup in Brazil in 2014, lots of countries will be releasing precious metal commemorative coins in celebration. We’re starting our look at them with what may well be the best of them all.

The games are known for the passion of the fans and it’s great to see that aspect of the tournament brought to life instead of just another look at the ball and/or the trophy. A huge 90 x 45 mm rectangle, the reverse face is packed with a vista of fans doing the Mexican Wave, also called the La ola in some countries, like Germany and Italy. The wave is an example of metachronal rhythm and occurs in a packed stadium when successive groups of spectators briefly stand, yell, and raise their arms. Immediately upon stretching to full height, the spectator returns to the usual seated position. Done correctly, the wave seems to move around the stadium.

The lower half of a footballer dribbling a ball sits in the foreground. It’s a beautiful piece and perfectly captures the passion and exuberance of the games. Issued for the Solomon Islands, the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II is in attendance on the obverse, along with inscriptions detailing the denomination and issuer. To the right of that is a very cool looking stylistic mixed pattern of football and Russia related elements. It’s great to see some effort employed on this face.

Three ounces in weight, the coins biggest selling point is the wave shape, having some similarities with the beautiful Chopin coin put out by the Mint of Poland a couple of years ago. Packaging looks decent, if uninspiring, and includes a certificate of authenticity that denotes which of the 2,018 mintage you have. We’re still waiting on release date and pricing information, but unless this is hugely expensive, we’re going to say this is about as cool a coin as you’re likely to see for the 2018 World Cup, which will undoubtedly be won by England….. 😉