ESPN commissioned Brazilian artist Cristiano Siqueria to create posters for all 32 teams competing in the World Cup. They display each team’s unique and oftentimes poetic nickname, so impress your friends by saying “La Furia Roja” instead of “Spain.”
The nicknames range from the simple, such as Switzerland’s “La Nati,” which means “the national team,” to more elaborate ones, such as England’s “The Three Lions,” an homage to the Royal Arms of England. All of the names provide interesting bits of trivia about their respective countries.
Check out Siqueria’s posters and a brief background on the teams’ nicknames, below:
Algeria, “Les Fennecs”
In honor of the national animal of Algeria, the national team is “Les Fennecs,” the small, nocturnal foxes native to North Africa.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAArgentina, “La Albiceleste”
As beautiful as it is eloquent, “La Albiceleste” means “The White and Sky Blue,” and refers to Argentina’s famous striped uniforms.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAAustralia, “The Socceroos”
This is probably the kookiest nickname: Australia’s national team combines “soccer” and “kangaroos.” Now, you’ve got yourself the Australian squad.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRABelgium, “The Red Devils”
The Belgians are known affectionately in all three of the country’s spoken languages — Dutch, French and German — as “The Red Devils.” The name was coined when a journalist called the Belgian squad “The Red Devils” after three “devilish” wins in 1906, just two years after forming.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRABosnia and Herzegovina, “Zmajevi”
Like Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina owes its nickname to a commentator who called the players “zmajevi” or “dragons” in 2010, and the name stuck.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRABrazil, “Seleção”
“The Selection” is Brazil’s nickname because it’s what Brazilians call every soccer team: a “seleção. But only the national team is “the “Seleção.” Brazil is also known as “Canarihno” (“Little Canary”) due to the team’s bright yellow uniforms.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRACameroon, “The Indomitable Lions”
Cameroon’s nickname is actually a nod to the country’s lion-preservation efforts. In the wild and on the pitch, the Cameroon lions or “Lions” are “indomitable.”IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAChile, “La Roja”
The Chileans prefer simplicity, earning their nickname from the team’s notable red uniforms.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAColombia, “Los Cafeteros”
“Los Cafeteros” loosely translates to “one who makes or drinks coffee,” and Colombians do both. The national team is nicknamed after one of Colombia’s biggest exports: coffee.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRACosta Rica, “Los Ticos”
“Los Ticos” is the shortened, more conversational name for “Costarrincenses” or “native Costa Ricans.”IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRACroatia, “Vatreni”
“Vatreni” means “The Blazers” in Croatian, a nod to both the passion of the players on the pitch and the fans in the stands. Lately, Croatia is also known as “Bilic’s Boys,” a reference to the team’s head coach, Slaven Bilic.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAEcuador, “La Tricolor”
“La Tricolor” refers to the three colors of the Ecuadorian flag: yellow, blue and red.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAEngland, “The Three Lions”
England’s namesake refers to the country’s rich history, going back to Richard the Lionheart, the King of England from 1189 to 1199. The three lions that appear on the national team’s crest also appear on the Royal Arms of England.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAFrance, “Les Bleus”
The boys in “bleu” got their nickname because the color dominates the French team’s uniforms. It’s even a nickname for most teams across French sports.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAGermany, “Die Mannschaft”
Call it German efficiency: “Die Mannschaft” means “The Team” in German. Simple, practical and formidable when spoken.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAGhana, “The Black Stars”
A refrence to the sole black star on Ghana’s national flag, the players of the national team are stars to their fans.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAGreece, “Ethniki”
“Ethniki” or “national” is Greece’s nickname. The Greek team is also known as “Piratiko,” after a Greek radio broadcaster who christened the team with the name during the opening ceremony of UEFA Euro 2004.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAHonduras, “Los Catrachos”
“Los Catrachos” is the name for native Hondurans, derived from General Florencio Xatruch who fought an American insurrectionist’s attempts to reintroduce slavery. Xatruch’s men were called “xatruches,” which then became “catruches,” and so on.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAIran, “Team Melli”
Like other teams in the World Cup, “Team Melli” simply means “National Team.”IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAItaly, “Azzurri”
Like France’s team, “Azzurri” means “the blues.” Though not part of the national flag colors, blue was the color of House Savoy which unified Italy in 1861.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAIvory Coast, “Les Elephants”
Ivory Coast; ivory tusks. The national team is named “Les Elephants” due to their part in the 19th century ivory trade.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAJapan, “Samurai Blue”
Adorned in “blue” uniforms, the Japanese squad honors the country’s historical warriors, and become “samurais” on the pitch.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAMexico, “El Tri”
Every national team’s nickname honors its country, but Mexico’s nickname “El Tri” conjures up intense national pride. A shortened “El Tricolor,” Mexico’s nickname refers to the three colors — red, white and green — of the Mexican flag.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRANetherlands, “Oranje”
Named for the team’s famous orange kits, the color is actually nowhere to be found on the Netherlands’ flag. Instead it refers to the color of the old Dutch royal family: House of Orange-Nassau. The team’s invention of a precise method of passing to maintain ball control – Total Football – also earned the Dutch team the nickname and Kubrickian homage “Clockwork Orange.”IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRANigeria, “The Super Eagles”
Nigeria’s nickname is rooted in classic one-upmanship. The national team adopted the nickname “The Super Eagles” after losing to Cameroon’s “The Indomitable Lions” in the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations finals.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAPortugal, “Seleção das Quinas”
Portugal’s nickname, “The Selection of the Shields,” refers to the five shields (the “quinas”) and the five dots within each shield (the bezants) on the country’s flag.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRARussia, “Sbornaya”
Short on originality, but strong and powerful in pronunciation, Russia’s “Sbornaya” means “National Team” in Russian.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRASouth Korea, “Taegeuk Warriors”
The “taegeuk” refers to the symbol on South Korea’s national flag, which represents a spiritual balance, similar to China’s yin and yang symbol. Also known as “The Reds” due to the team’s red uniforms, fans have called themselves the “Red Devils” since 1995.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRASpain, “La Furia Roja”
“The Red Fury,” Spain’s nickname, comes from two sources. “La Roja,” like other team nicknames, comes from the color of the team’s uniforms, while “La Furia” describes its “direct, aggressive, spirited style” of play in the 1920s — a “fury” on the pitch.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRASwitzerland, “La Nati”
The Swiss team kept its nickname short and to the point. “La Nati,” means “The National Team” in French. Due to the many languages used in Switzerland, the team is also known as “Schweizer Nati” in German and “Squadra Nazionale” in Italian, but they ultimately all mean the same thing.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAUruguay, “La Celeste”
Not quite Argentina’s “La Albiceleste,” but equally as beautiful when spoken, Uruguay’s “La Celeste” also refers to the team’s sky-blue uniforms.IMAGE: ESPN/CRISTIANO SIQUEIRAU.S.A., “The Yanks”
Unlike other countries competing in the World Cup, the U.S. doesn’t have an official nickname. In the past, the team has been called “The Yanks,” but the jury’s still out on it being the official name of the U.S. Men’s National Team. Other nicknames include “The Stars and Stripes” or just “Team USA.”
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