Qatar 2022 World Cup: These are the nicknames of all 32 participating teams
The Qatar 2022 World Cup will be a tournament like no other with the event being staged in the small Gulf nation in November and December.
The World Cup is upon us and despite the controversies surrounding the event being staged in Qatar, when the action starts, talk of ‘La Roja, ‘Three Lions’, ‘Red Devils’ and ‘El Tri’ will be interwoven in our footballing vernacular.
Today, we offer a brief masterclass in each of the nicknames of the 32 participating nations and a brief description to the origin so you can decipher your ‘Samurai Blue’ from ‘Les Bleus’.
Group A
- Qatar: ‘Al-Annabi’ - The ones in burgundy, a reference to the colour of the national team shirt
- Netherlands: ‘Oranje’ - Another nod to the orange colour of the Dutch playing shirt
- Ecuador: ‘La Tri’ - A reference to the colours of the national flag and playing kit of yellow, blue and red
- Senegal: ‘Lions of Teranga’ - Teranga means hospitality in the local Wolof language
Group B
- England: ‘Three Lions’ - A reference to the England crest
- Iran: ‘Team Melli - A translation of the ‘national team’ in Persian/Farsi
- Wales: ‘Red Dragons’ - The dragon is a heraldic symbol associated with Wales who play in red
- USA: ‘Stars n’ Stripes’ - Nickname associated with the US national flag
Group C
- Argentina: ‘La Albiceleste’ - The sky blue and whites, a reference to the Argentina shirt
- Saudi Arabia: ‘Green Falcons’ - Reference to the national shirt and FA emblem
- Mexico: ‘El Tri’ - Reference to the colours of the national flag and playing kit of green, white and red
- Poland: ‘The Eagles’ - Reference to the national flag and symbol on the FA crest
Group D
- France: ‘Les Bleus’ - A reference to the blue playing shirt of the national side
- Denmark: ‘Danish Dynamite’ - A term used during the spell under coach Sepp Piontek in the 1980s
- Tunisia: ‘The Carthage Eagles’ - Reference to the colours of the national flag and playing kit of green, white and red
- Australia: ‘Socceroos’ - A play on words on the sport and the kangaroo, the national symbol of Australia
Group E
- Spain: ‘La Roja’ - A reference to the red playing shirt of the national side
- Germany: ‘Die Mannschaft’ - Translation of the ‘national team’ from German
- Japan: ‘Samurai Blue’ - Referencing the traditional Japanese warrior with the blue colour of the national team jersey
- Costa Rica: ‘Los Ticos’ - Slang for natives of Costa Rica
Group F
- Belgium: ‘Red Devils’ - A reference to the red playing shirt of the national side
- Croatia: ‘Vaterny’ - Meaning the fiery ones
- Morocco: ‘Atlas Lions’ - Named after the Atlas mountain range in the south of the country
- Canada: ‘The Canucks’ - Slang for natives of Canada
Group G
- Brazil: ‘Seleção’ - Meaning the national team in Portuguese
- Serbia: ‘Orlivi’ - Meaning the eagles in Serbian
- Switzerland: ‘Nati’ - An abbreviation for the national side
- Cameroon: ‘The Indomitable Lions’ - Formerly known as just the Lions, the word indomitable was added in 1972
Group H
- Portugal: ‘Seleção’ - Meaning the national team in Portuguese
- Uruguay: ‘Charruas’ - Indigenous people from present-day Uruguay
- Ghana: ‘Black Stars’ - A reference to the black star at the centre of the Ghanaian flag
- South Korea: ‘The Taeguk Warriors’ - The Taeguk is the symbol on the national flag