List of UEFA national association football teams by nickname explained

The following is a list of nicknames of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) national association football teams.

Nicknames

TeamNicknameEnglish translationNotes
KuqezinjtëThe Red and BlacksDepicts the colours of the flag of Albania.[1]
Shqiponjat / ShqipetThe EaglesThe eagle is one of the national symbols of Albania. The crossed hands gesture, which symbolizes an eagle, is sometimes used as a celebration by Albanian players.[2]
La Seleccio TricolorThe Tricolour SelectionThe flag of Andorra is a vertical tricolour of blue, yellow, and red with the country's coat of arms.[3]
Հավաքական The Collective TeamFrom the Armenia national football team.[4]
WunderteamWonder TeamIn the 1930s led by Manager Hugo Meisl, the team earned the Nickname after a 14 matches undefeated run.[5]
Odlar Yurdu KomandasiThe Land of Fire TeamThe Land of Fire is the adopted motto of the Azerbaijan Republic.
Белыя КрылыThe White WingsIn August 2016, the Football Federation of Belarus announced that the team's nickname would be the "White Wings". The name was influenced by the book The Land Beneath White Wings (1977) by famous Belarusian writer Uladzimir Karatkievich.[6]
De Rode Duivels
Les Diables Rouges
Die Roten Teufel
The Red DevilsIn 1906, the Belgium national team players received the nickname Red Devils because of their red jersey.
(Women)The Red Flames[7]
ZmajeviThe DragonsPopularized by football TV commentator Marjan Mijajlović during Belgium vs. Bosnia 2010 World Cup qualification game on 28 March 2009. A historical allusion to general Husein Gradaščević, who fought for independence, and was known as the "Dragon of Bosnia".
Zlatni LjiljaniThe Golden LiliesSometimes referred to as the Golden Lilies, which was an original nickname given to all the country's teams and sportsmen or Women by fans after independence in reference to official state insignia at the time (flag and coat of arms).[8]
Лъвовете The LionsThe coat of arms of Bulgaria consists of a crowned golden lion rampant over a dark red shield. The Lion is the national animal of Bulgaria.
VatreniThe Fiery OnesVatra means Fire in Croatian.[9] [10]
KockastiThe Chequered OnesThe Croatian checkerboard is the national symbol of Croatia.[11]
Η γαλανόλευκηThe White and BluesThe Naval Jack of Cyprus is blue with a white cross.
NároďákThe National TeamNarod translates to the people in English
Lokomotiva The LocomotiveThe Czech Republic is one of the world biggest Locomotive builders led by Škoda.
The Danish DynamiteMainly relating to the Danish team of the 1980s.[12]
The Three LionsThe history of the three lions symbol goes back to the 12th Century when a red crest with three gold lions would be carried into battle to inspire English troops.
(Women)The Lionesses[13]
SinisärgidThe Blue shirtsFrom their home kit which traditionally consists of a blue shirt.[14]
LandsliðiðThe National TeamLandsliðið means squad in Icelandic.
HuuhkajatThe Eagle OwlsHuuhkajat means Owls in English.[15]
(Women)HelmaritThe Pearl Owls[16]
Les BleusThe BluesBecause of the traditional color of their uniforms which is blue.
ჯვაროსნებიThe CrusadersLegend tells of Crusaders who left France 800 years ago and became detached from the main army, marched through Turkey and Armenia and settled in the Greater Caucasus mountains in Georgia.
Die Mannschaft*The Team
  • "Die Mannschaft" is mainly used outside of Germany. Locally, it generically means "the (male) team".
[17] [18]
Team 54Gibraltar was the 54th nation to join UEFA.[19]
Η ΕθνικήThe National TeamΗ ΕθνικήI Ethnikí means the National team in English.[20]
Το ΠειρατικόThe Pirate ShipUnofficial nickname given after the Euro 2004 win.[21]
Nemzeti TizenegyNational ElevenFrom the teams starting 11 players.[22]
Strákarnir OkkarOur BoysStrákarnir Okkar means our boys in Icelandic.
Hebrew: הכחולים-לבניםThe Skyblue and Whites (HaTkhulim-Levanim)From the Hebrew words for the original colors of the Flag of Israel (as well as the colors of the capital city of Israel's emblem as depicted in the Coat of Arms of Jerusalem), which is two skyblue horizontal stripes framing a skyblue Star of David on top of white background.[23]
Hebrew: הנבחרתThe Chosen Team (HaNivcheret)From the shortened Modern Hebrew term used primarily for the selected national sportspeople, combined with the biblical Hebrew term of the Chosen people that alludes to the Jews and the Israelites.[24]
Gli AzzurriThe BluesThe colour blue originates from the House of Savoy coat of arms, which had a blue background.[25]
La NazionaleThe National TeamFrom the Italian National Team.[26]
(Women)Le AzzurreThe Blues (female)The colour blue originates from the House of Savoy coat of arms, which had a blue background.[27]
Казахстанские барсыThe Snow LeopardsThe snow leopard is one of the rarest mammals in Kazakhstan.
DardanëtThe DardaniansThe Dardani or Dardanians were an Indo-European tribe which settled in the region of present-day Kosovo.[28]
11 vilki11 wolvesFrom the teams starting 11 players.
NatiShort for "National".From "Nationalmannschaft", the German for "National team".
RinktineThe National TeamRinktine means national team in Lithuanian.
d'Roud LéiwenThe Red Lionsd'Roud Léiwen means red lions in Luxembourgish.[29]
Knights of St. JohnThe Order of the Knights of St John was a Catholic Military Order established in 603
SelectionataThe SelectionFrom the chosen ones or the chosen
Hrabri SokoliThe Brave FalconsFrom the Falco vespertinus which are native to Montenegro.[30]
OranjeOrangeOrange is the colour of the Dutch royal family.
Clockwork OrangeNickname of the 1970s the Dutch team, famous for its precision passing.[31]
The Flying Dutchmenwordplay associated with the legendary ship the Flying Dutchman[32]
(Women)OranjeleeuwinnenOrange LionessesThe Lion is one of the national symbols of the Netherlands, orange is its national color.[33] [34]
Црвени РисовиThe Red Lynx[35]
Црвено-ЖолтиThe Red-YellowFrom the Macedonian flag which is red and yellow.
Norn IronSlang term for "Northern Ireland".[36]
DrillosUsed during the tenure of Egil "Drillo" Olsen.[37]
Biało-czerwoniThe White and RedsFrom the polish flag which is white and Red.
OrłyThe EaglesFrom the polish coat of arms which depicts white crowned eagle on red field.
Seleção das QuinasTeam of the FiveFrom the 5 shields present in the Coat of arms of Portugal, known in Portuguese as "Quinas".
Na Buachaillí i nGlasThe Boys in GreenThe green in Ireland's tricolor flag is meant to represent Ireland's Catholic heritage and nationalism.
TricoloriiThe Tricoloursfrom the Romanian flag that has 3 colors.[38] [39]
Наши парни
Сборная
Our Guys
The National Team
Сборная means national team in Russian.
La SerenissimaThe Most Serenethe Republic of San Marino is also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino.[40]
The Tartan TerriersFrom the Scottish Terrier, popularly called the Scottie, which is a breed of dog popular in Scotland.[41]
Бели Орлови White EaglesFrom the Serbian double-headed heraldic eagle, a common symbol in the nation's heraldry and vexillology
RepreShort for "Národná reprezentácia" (The National Team)From the Slovak national team meaning.
Národný tímNational Team
Bojovní Jondovci The Fighting JondasFrom the Slovak word meaning warrior.
ZmajčekiThe DragonsA dragon is a large, serpent-like legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures around the world. [42]
La RojaThe Red One"La Furia Roja", means the Red Fury in Spanish.[43] [44]
BlågultThe Blue-YellowFrom the Swedish flag which is Blue and Yellow
NatiShort for "Nationalmannschaft" (The National Team)From Nationalmannschaft which means National team in German.
Ay YıldızlılarThe Crescent-StarsThe crescent and the star, present on the flag, are the national symbols of Turkey.
Синьо-жовті The Blue and YellowsFrom the flag of Ukraine.[45]
Y DreigiauThe DragonsThe Welsh Dragon is the national symbol of Wales.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Liverpool 2 - 1 Swansea City Match preview - 10/28/14 League Cup - Goal.com. Goal.com. 26 August 2018.
  2. Web site: Shqiponjat e vitit – Shaqiri dhe Xhaka. 31 December 2018. KOHA.net. sq-AL. 8 February 2019.
  3. Web site: Football (Soccer) Team Nicknames. Topendsports.com.
  4. Web site: Ազգային Հավաքական. www.ffa.am. 9 February 2019.
  5. disputed; nickname for teams of 1934 and 1938
  6. Web site: Football (Soccer) Team Nicknames. Topendsports.com.
  7. Web site: Red Flames will play Norway and Ireland in April. 2021-06-23. royal-belgian-football-association.prezly.com. 24 March 2021 . en-BE.
  8. Web site: Are the boys from Bosnia ready to make their mark on world football?. 12 January 2017. Outside of the Boot. en-US. 8 February 2019.
  9. News: World Cup '06: Team Nickname Guide. 8 July 2011. The New York Times. 11 July 2018.
  10. Book: Football in Southeastern Europe: From Ethnic Homogenization to Reconciliation. Hughson. John. Skillen. Fiona. 14 October 2015. Routledge. 9781317749295. en.
  11. Web site: Snup Dog obukao kockasti dres i izazvao delirijum među navijačima Hrvatske! (FOTO). Telegraf.rs. 12 July 2018 . hr. 14 July 2018.
  12. News: Danish Dynamite: the Story of Football's Greatest Cult Team – extract. Smyth. Rob. 29 April 2014. The Guardian. 8 February 2019. Eriksen. Lars. en-GB. 0261-3077. Gibbons. Mike.
  13. Web site: England Women vs Cameroon Women Prediction. Betting hits. June 22, 2019.
  14. Web site: Sinisärgid võõrustavad Itaaliat 3. septembril - Õhtuleht. 10 September 2012. Archive.is. https://archive.today/20120910140310/http://www.ohtuleht.ee/369808. 10 September 2012. dead. 26 August 2018.
  15. http://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/artikkeli/Palkittu+Bubi+k%C3%A4v%C3%A4isi+yll%C3%A4tt%C3%A4en+palkitsemistilaisuudessa/1135232674034 Palkittu Bubi käväisi yllättäen palkitsemistilaisuudessa
  16. Web site: Helmarit nimetty MM-karsinta-avaukseen Serbiaa vastaan. Football Association of Finland. fi. 22 June 2018.
  17. Web site: DFB präsentiert neue Wort-Bild-Marke "Die Mannschaft" :: DFB - Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V.. https://web.archive.org/web/20170830034100/https://www.dfb.de/news/detail/dfb-praesentiert-neue-wort-bild-marke-die-mannschaft-124530/. 30 August 2017. dead. 17 July 2017. dmy-all.
  18. Web site: Northern Ireland vs Germany. 8 September 2019.
  19. Web site: Gibraltar Team54. team54.gi. 8 February 2019.
  20. Web site: Εθνική Ελλάδας SPORT 24. www.sport24.gr. en. 8 February 2019.
  21. Web site: Θυμάστε το "πειρατικό" που έκανε την Ευρώπη να παραμιλάει; Η Ελλάδα νίκησε στον τελικό την Πορτογαλία 1-0 και αναδείχτηκε πρωταθλήτρια στο Euro 2004. Ο αγώνας που ένωσε τους Έλληνες. athina. 3 July 2018. ΜΗΧΑΝΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥ. el. 8 February 2019.
  22. Web site: Így köszöntötte a nemzeti tizenegy a szurkolókat. VEOL. 24 December 2018 . hu. 9 June 2019.
  23. Web site: פלסטין צפויה לעבור את ישראל בדירוג פיפ"א. 17 November 2011. mako. 9 February 2019.
  24. Web site: פלסטין צפויה לעבור את ישראל בדירוג פיפ"א. 17 November 2011. mako. 9 February 2019.
  25. Web site: Perché gli Italiani si chiamano Azzurri (e non solo nel calcio)?. 14 June 2016. superEva. it. 8 February 2019.
  26. Web site: Quagliarella si prende la Nazionale. E il cuore della Salvalaggio. Virgilio Sport. 5 February 2019 . it-IT. 8 February 2019.
  27. Web site: Cesena pronta ad "abbracciare" le Azzurre, "Calcio femminile in grande crescita". CesenaToday. it. 9 February 2019.
  28. Web site: Kosovo Could Have A Very Strong First XI. 15 June 2016. www.sportbible.com. en. 9 February 2019.
  29. Web site: Tag archives : Roud Léiwen . Le Quotidien . 9 February 2019. fr.
  30. Web site: 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - News - Brave Falcons on the rise . https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124320/https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/brave-falcons-the-rise-1041069. dead. 9 February 2019. www.fifa.com. en-GB. 8 February 2019.
  31. Web site: Holland football facts. 7 May 2012. www.holland.com. en. 8 February 2019.
  32. Web site: Holland's media-friendly football pros Radio Netherlands Worldwide. 12 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131012031717/http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/holland%E2%80%99s-media-friendly-football-pros. 8 February 2019. 12 October 2013.
  33. Web site: Orange Lionesses. KNVB. 14 June 2019.
  34. Web site: Women's World Cup 2019 team guide: No 20: Netherlands. The Guardian. 5 June 2019. 14 June 2019.
  35. Web site: Latvia vs FYR Macedonia. 8 September 2019.
  36. "News in Brief", 13 October 2008, http://www.guardian.co.uk
  37. Web site: "Drillos" fyller 20 år. Elster. Kristian. 31 October 2010. NRK. nb-NO. 8 February 2019.
  38. "Tricolorii- echipa nationala a Romaniei", http://www.tricolori.ro
  39. "Tricolorii squad named," romania.worldcupblog.org, 6 October 2008
  40. Web site: Calcio. CONS San Marino. it-IT. 8 February 2019.
  41. Web site: Scotland Home of the Tartan Terriers. 2022-04-06.
  42. Web site: Rusi pobijedili Sloveniju i ostali usamljeni na vrhu naše grupe. 24sata.hr. 27 March 2021 . 27 March 2021.
  43. Web site: An explanation: 2010 World Cup team nicknames. Grove, Daryl. 19 June 2010. Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo! Inc.. https://web.archive.org/web/20121026044021/http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/An-explanation-2010-World-Cup-team-nicknames?urn=sow-249286. 26 October 2012. dead. 26 June 2014.
  44. Web site: http://furiaroja.org/. 17 May 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140517150613/http://furiaroja.org/. 26 August 2018. 17 May 2014.
  45. Web site: Super Eagles vs Yellow Blue Showdown is in September. Betting Hits Nigeria. 10 August 2019.