# Soccer/Football National Team Nicknames **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 20, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904 "2010-06-20T20:44:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drgnrdr07](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71e660/32.png) [@drgnrdr07](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drgnrdr07)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/1 "2010-06-20T20:44:07Z")
Due to World Cup coverage, I am seeing a lot of nicknames being used when talking about the various national soccer teams. I would like to learn more about these. Can you guys list your national team and some of their nicknames? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/2 "2010-06-20T21:41:49Z")
I’m struggling to think of any other ones than these: Italy - Azzuri Nigeria - Super Eagles Cameroon - The Indomitable Lions Australia - Socceroos New Zealand - The All Whites (and I only found that out today) My own country (Scotland) doesn’t have one, but the fans who go to games are called The Tartan Army. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/3 "2010-06-20T22:01:12Z")
Here’s the [complete list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_football_%28soccer%29_teams_by_nickname). [FIFA explains it all](http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid=111184.html#whats+name+part+ii) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/4 "2010-06-20T22:29:01Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Here’s the [complete list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_football_%28soccer%29_teams_by_nickname). Huh. That says we’re called The Tartan Terriers. I’ve never heard or read that being used. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/5 "2010-06-20T22:32:45Z")
About as common as the Three Lions for England then? ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/6 "2010-06-20T22:47:29Z")
I think, apart from maybe a few such as those **Baron Greenback** lists, these nicknames are used more by commentators and journalists than fans. It just allows them a bit more variety than saying “Italy” or whatever all the time. You hear these nicknames more now simply because there is more coverage. But in real life the teams are almost always referred to simply by the name of the country. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/7 "2010-06-20T23:00:50Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > I’m struggling to think of any other ones than these: > > Italy - Azzuri > Nigeria - Super Eagles > Cameroon - The Indomitable Lions > Australia - Socceroos > New Zealand - The All Whites (and I only found that out today) > > My own country (Scotland) doesn’t have one, but the fans who go to games are called The Tartan Army. Without clicking **Tapioca Dextrin** ’s link, I can think of _L’Orange_ (Netherlands) and _Bafana bafana_ (South Africa). ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/8 "2010-06-21T08:47:36Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > Without clicking **Tapioca Dextrin** ’s link, I can think of _L’Orange_ (Netherlands) and _Bafana bafana_ (South Africa). Hold it - do you really think The Netherlands would adopt a French moniker for its team? Oranje, please! ---
**Author:** ![wintertime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c68b51/32.png) [@wintertime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wintertime)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/9 "2010-06-21T08:50:11Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > Oranje, please! Or Käsköpp. 😛 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/10 "2010-06-21T11:00:17Z")
One stupid thing about that list on wiki: it includes “la selección” for Spain, but that’s just a Spanish word meaning “the national team” for team sports. Unless context makes it clear which one you’re talking about, it means as much the Red Fury as it means Canada’s National Hockey Team. Even when context makes it clear it’s meant to be the Spanish/Argentinian/Pick-another-Spanish-speaking-country’s team, it can mean for any sport. ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/11 "2010-06-21T11:35:29Z")
They also didn’t include Germany in the list. The team is usually just called “Die Elf” or “Die Nationalelf”. The English probably have a bunch of memorable and R-Rated monikers for the German team also. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/12 "2010-06-21T12:12:38Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > Hold it - do you really think The Netherlands would adopt a French moniker for its team? Oranje, please! Well, see, FIFA is headquartered in Switzerland, they speak French in Switzerland, and… nah, I got nothin’. I think I was just listening to coverage of the French meltdown when I wrote that. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/13 "2010-06-21T12:23:21Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > One stupid thing about that list on wiki: it includes “la selección” for Spain, but that’s just a Spanish word meaning “the national team” for team sports. Unless context makes it clear which one you’re talking about, it means as much the Red Fury as it means Canada’s National Hockey Team. Even when context makes it clear it’s meant to be the Spanish/Argentinian/Pick-another-Spanish-speaking-country’s team, it can mean for any sport. Yeah, ditto for the nickname they give for Israel – “Hanivheret” - “the selected.” Um, no – it’s exactly the same etimology as the Spanish “la selección” mentioned above; it just means “the national team,” regardless of the literal interpretation of the words. The Botswanian national team would be called “_Nivheret Botswana_.” And **nobody** ever calls the Israel team “the Blue Whites.” At least not unsarcastically… Mostly we just call them “awful, chokers and overpaid” 😛 ETA: A good one that hasn’t been mentioned is the Ivory Coast team; known as “The Elephants.” ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/14 "2010-06-21T12:28:07Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > And **nobody** ever calls the Israel team “the Blue Whites.” At least not unsarcastically… > Mostly we just call them “awful, chokers and overpaid” 😛 What a coïncidence, that’s what we call our dutch team after the tournament :D, Also believe thats th official name under which the English are registered at FIFA;) ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/15 "2010-06-21T13:51:06Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > ETA: A good one that hasn’t been mentioned is the Ivory Coast team; known as “The Elephants.” The way they were stomping on Brazilian legs yesterday, I can see where they got that name. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/16 "2010-06-21T13:55:22Z")
> [@Mycroft\_Holmes](#): > > The way they were stomping on Brazilian legs yesterday, I can see where they got that name. 😉 In fairness, the way most of the players in the tourney are thrashing like fish out of water whenever someone breathes on them, I’d be more than willing to call any or all of the teams there “China Shops!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/17 "2010-06-21T14:15:24Z")
The English team have garnered a few new nicknames over the past week 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/18 "2010-06-21T16:46:41Z")
The argentinian press has baptized the French team as “Moulin Rouge”. In Argentina we call our National Team, the National Team. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/19 "2010-06-21T18:15:30Z")
> [@Estilicon](#): > > The argentinian press has baptized the French team as “Moulin Rouge”. > In Argentina we call our National Team, the National Team. Damn clever, you Argentinians. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904/20 "2010-06-21T18:52:00Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Here’s the [complete list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_football_%28soccer%29_teams_by_nickname). > > [FIFA explains it all](http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid=111184.html#whats+name+part+ii) In terms of Soccer, i guess Israel is in Europe rather than the Middle East. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-football-national-team-nicknames/543904.md?page=2)