# On the three-letter codes that identify the countries participating in the World Cup? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [June 14, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898 "2026-06-14T17:01:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898/21 "2026-06-18T11:42:07Z")
Most viewers in the UK are reasonably proficient in English as well, of course 😁 ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898/22 "2026-06-18T11:44:12Z")
You don’t say! 🤦‍♂️ 😄 ---
**Author:** ![MarkF2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5ac83/32.png) [@MarkF2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkF2004)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898/23 "2026-06-20T17:00:36Z")
I’m surprised no-one has mentioned Curacao yet. Their 3 letter code is CUW. No idea why, the only W I can attribute is the capital, Willemstad. Reading the Wiki, the ISO code is CUR. [Toyah] It’th a mythtewy [/Toyah] ---
**Author:** ![Pheoinix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7993a0/32.png) [@Pheoinix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pheoinix)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898/24 "2026-07-03T18:19:11Z")
I noticed another unfortunate combination of 3 letter national codes during the Belgium v Senegal game. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898/25 "2026-07-03T18:52:16Z")
BELSEN? I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898/26 "2026-07-03T18:53:48Z")
> **[Bergen-Belsen concentration camp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen-Belsen_concentration_camp)** > > Bergen-Belsen (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}pronounced \[ˈbɛʁɡn̩ˌbɛlsn̩\]), or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concentration camp. Initially this was ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898/27 "2026-07-03T18:54:34Z")
Oh. Well that’s unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898/28 "2026-07-03T20:21:59Z")
Yeh I noticed that and was surprised that it was shown ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898/29 "2026-07-03T20:43:27Z")
Should they have swapped the names so that the game was called Sen-Bel? I don’t think it matters much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-three-letter-codes-that-identify-the-countries-participating-in-the-world-cup/1030898.md?page=1)