The 2018 World Cup is kicking off in just three days in Russia, but a tournament of another kind is also being held in Aba Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China’s Sichuan Province starring panda footballers! /VCG Photo

The players are eight giant pandas cubs born in 2017. The cubs are the ambassadors for a special football series hosted by the Chinese Giant Panda Research Center and the ipanda channel in parallel with the 2018 Russian World Cup, scheduled to begin on June 14. /VCG Photo

The series aims to celebrate and promote the ties between football and giant pandas. /VCG Photo

Through a number of activities like panda football matches and football trivia, the event will pump up football fans around the country to learn more about the giant pandas all the while gearing up for the upcoming World Cup. /VCG Photo