During the first round of this year's World Cup, I learned the nicknames of several teams. I later learned that every national team has a nickname of some kind, and in some cases, multiple nicknames.
As a writer and marketer, one of my favorite jobs is creating taglines and mottos for small businesses. So naturally, I became very interested in the nicknames of each national team. Based on my personal opinion only, I have ranked each country in this year's World Cup based on the quality, uniqueness, and strength of their nickname.
Feel free to share your opinion and disagree with me below in the comment section.
#32. The National Team -- (Tie) Germany, Iran, Russia
Unfortunately, many of the countries have lame nicknames for their national teams. Several countries' nicknames literally translate to "national team," or some variation of that term with no originality. This puts Germany, Iran, and Russia at the very bottom of this list.
#29. The White and Reds -- (Tie) Peru, Poland
The Polish team is nicknamed Bialo-Czerwoni, which means White-Reds. I am not a big fan of a nickname relying solely on the color of a uniform, but it works well for several well-known national teams. By some, the team is also called the Polish Eagles (Polskie Orly), which is a much better alternative.
Peru's national team is also nicknamed "The White and Reds" (La Blanquirroja). It's a little long, boring, and unoriginal, but at least it's better than being called "The National Team."
#27. The Nats -- Switzerland
Called "Schweizer Nati" or "Nati," Switzerland's national team translates to "The Nats." It's short, easy to say, and a vast improvement on just calling the team "the national team."
#26. The White and Sky Blues -- Argentina
We all know that Argentina wears white and sky blue uniforms, but can't they come up with a better nickname? It's lame for such an exciting team to watch on the pitch.
#25. Blue and Yellows -- Sweden
Sweden's national team is known by fans as "Sweden Blågult," which means the "Blue and Yellows." I am a much bigger fan of their alternate nickname, which is "Kronos," or "The Crowns."
#24. The Blues -- France
"The Blues" is simple and based on their style of jersey, but it's short, memorable, and it has a little bit of personality. Hopefully for fans of France's national team, their team won't be singing the blues after Saturday's match.
#23. The Sky Blue -- Uruguay
"La Celeste" means "The Sky Blue." Uruguay does have good-looking uniforms, perhaps that's why I gave them the benefit of doubt here at #23 on my list. They still could use a better nickname.
#22. The Falcons -- Saudi Arabia
Since the Saudi team has several nicknames, I'm ranking the name that seems to be the most common -- The Falcons, translated from "Al Sogour Al Akhdar." However, this team has one of the best secondary nicknames that would certainly be ranked in the top ten -- "Ouilad Al Sahraa," meaning Sons of the Desert." Now that would be a cooler nickname than The Falcons.
#21. White Eagles -- Serbia
A variation of the Serbian national team nickname is the White Eagles. It's got character and is memorable. Not a bad nickname for the club.
#20. The Eagles of Carthage -- Tunisia
Although it's long, The Eagles of Carthage has the sound of royalty and prestige. I'll excuse the length because I love to say it with an English accent.
#19. Los Ticos -- Costa Rica
The Costa Rica national team is nicknamed Los Ticos, which is a slang saying amongst natives of Costa Rica. It's unique to their country and endearing, good enough for #19 on the list.
#18. Quinas -- Portugal
The history of Portugal's nickname dates back to 1143, as "Quinas," a five-sided polyhedron, apparently represents forts and castles that were conquered back in the 12th century. This is a strong one-word nickname, but for me at least, it's a little confusing. The team is basically named after a shape, right?
#17. Our Boys -- Iceland
Iceland has proved to be a national team with the ability to play any nation well for 90 minutes. In addition to their signature thunderclap (which is the coolest cheer ever), the team has a strong nickname that translates to "Our Boys."
#16. Asian Tigers -- South Korea
I like teams that incorporate something from their own culture or region into their nickname, and the South Korean Asian Tigers do that very well.
#15. Samurai Blue -- Japan
The Samurai Blue is a great nickname for Japan, who represented their country extremely well this World Cup.
#14. The Blazers -- Croatia
The Croatia national team has several nicknames, all of them are good enough to land them high on this list. In addition to being The Blazers, the team is also referred to as the Fiery Boys, and "Kockasti," meaning The Chequereds due to their checkered jerseys.
#13. The Pharaohs -- Egypt
When you think of Egypt, you think of deserts and ancient pharaohs, which makes for a great nickname for their national team.
#12. The Red Tide -- Panama
Another country that uses something unique about their country as their nickname, Panama is The Red Tide.
#11. The Coffee Growers -- Colombia
It feels like a pure marketing play (hey, we grow coffee, want to buy some?), but I respect Colombia using a key export in their nickname. They are also known as the Tricolors.
#10. The Lions of Hospitality -- Senegal
Their nickname may not scare anyone, but The Lions of Hospitality is a name that carries respect along with it. I've never seen a hospitable lion, but I imagine they exist.
#9. The Lions of Atlas -- Morocco
Named after the Atlas Mountains, Morocco's nickname is The Lions of Atlas. Again, not completely original, but they have merged an animal they respect with something unique from their country.
#8. The Red Devils -- Belgium
A name that drives fear into an opponent, The Red Devils is a strong nickname that's used in several sports and leagues around the world. It's not completely unique, which is why it's sitting here at #9, but still a very strong nickname.
#7. The Red Fury -- Spain
If only Spain could've shown more fury during the knockout stage they might have been able to beat Russia to move on. Still, The Red Fury is a fantastic nickname worthy of a spot in the top ten.
#6. The Three Lions -- England
England's patch with three lions dates back to 1872. The Three Lions has historical significance, and although plenty of other countries use lions in their nickname, England has three, so it has to be better than just one or two lions, right?
#5. Super Eagles -- Nigeria
Simple, fun, and strong, the Nigeria Super Eagles is a top-five nickname worth rallying around. I found myself rooting for the Super Eagles in the group stage of the World Cup.
#4. el Tri -- Mexico
el Tri is a very simple nickname, derived from having a jersey with three colors, but catchy and one of the more popular nicknames used by announcers and fans during the World Cup. This nickname makes the top five because even those who don't speak Spanish pronounce this nickname in Spanish, which is just good branding for the country.
#3. Little Canary -- Brazil
Originality wins here. While no one is scared of a little bird, who doesn't love a nickname for a powerhouse national team that is Little Canary? The team that wears the bright yellow jerseys has a very memorable and lovable nickname.
#2. The Socceroos -- Australia
What happens when you merge the word soccer with kangaroo? You get the Socceroos! It's an extremely fun nickname that makes random soccer fans from around the world, including myself, cheer for this team.
#1. Danish Dynamite -- Denmark
Now this is nickname! It packs a punch with a piece of their culture (being Danish) weaved into a great two-word nickname. The Danish Dynamite from Denmark has my vote as the best overall national team name in this year's World Cup.
Now it's your turn to discuss. What do you think? Where did I go wrong? Please comment below!
Team nicknames were sourced from this article and also from online searches to confirm. My rankings are based on my personal preference and experience creating taglines and nicknames for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
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