The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 teams in the field, meaning that 48 different nations will be bringing their traditions and culture to the tournament. A key piece of that culture is the teams’ nicknames — the names that the fans know them by.
From animals to colors to local cultural symbols, every team (except one) has a special moniker that’s specific to their nation. Here are the nicknames for every team that will be playing in the World Cup this month.
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Algeria: The Fennecs, The Desert Warriors
Algeria has a few nicknames related to the country’s location in the vast Sahara Desert. One nickname, the Fennecs, refers to a small fox native to the Northern African desert. The team is also sometimes called the Desert Warriors.
Argentina: La Selección, La Albiceleste
Like many countries, Argentina’s team is often known simply as “La Selección” — “The Selection.” But Argentina’s other nickname is “La Albiceleste,” meaning “The White and Sky Blue,” in reference to the country’s flag and the team’s iconic striped jerseys.
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Australia: The Socceroos
The Australians have a tradition of using local animals or other symbols as nicknames for their teams. For men’s soccer, it’s the Socceroos, a name that combines the sport with the kangaroo, one of Australia’s unique animals and a national symbol.
Austria: Das Nationalteam
Austria’s nickname is less creative than it is on-the-nose. The team is known in Austria as “Das Nationalteam” — The National Team. Fans also sometimes refer to players as “Unsere Burschen,” meaning “Our Boys.”
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Belgium: The Red Devils
The multi-lingual Belgians are known as the Red Devils by fans, who refer to the team in all three of the country’s official languages: Dutch (“De Rode Duivels”), French (“Les Diables rouges”) and German (“Die Roten Teufel”).
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Zmajevi
The Bosnian team is primarily known as “Zmajevi,” which means “the dragons” in Bosnian. The team is also sometimes called “Zlatni Ljiljani,” meaning the “golden lilies,” referring to a native Bosnian flower. The flower, represented as fleurs-de-lis, was a symbol on the country’s flag in the 1990s.
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Brazil: Seleção, Canarinho
The Brazilian national team is typically referred to as the Seleção, which is Portuguese for “the selection.” But the more exciting of the team’s nicknames is the “Canarinhos,” or the Little Canaries, in honor of the team’s iconic yellow jerseys. Those jerseys are referred to as “canarinha,” and inspired the team’s mascot, which was introduced ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
(Photo by Andre Ricardo/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images)
(Sports Press Photo via Getty Images)
Canada: Les Rouges
When cheering on their national team, the bilingual Canadians stick to French — Allez Les Rouges! — with a nickname that means “The Reds” in English, based on the color of the country’s flag. Canada’s players are also sometimes known as “The Canucks,” a slang term referring to Canadians.
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Cape Verde: Turbarões Azuis (The Blue Sharks)
In Portuguese, Cape Verde’s national team is known as “Turbarões Azuis” — the Blue Sharks. Fittingly, a shark is featured prominently in the country’s crest.
Colombia: Los Cafeteros
Colombia’s nickname, “Los Cafeteros” (the Coffee Growers), refers to the country’s significant coffee production. Like other teams in Central and South America, Colombia’s team is also sometimes called “La Tricolor” in reference to the country’s tri-colored flag.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Les Leopards
The Democratic Republic of Congo team is known as the Leopards, sporting the name of the spotted cats that are prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. The animal is also included in the team’s crest, with the face of a leopard perched at the top.
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Côte d’Ivoire/Ivory Coast: Les Éléphants
The coastal African nation is also named after a local animal, this time the African elephant. That nickname also leads to one of the best crests in all of FIFA: An elephant balancing a soccer ball, with the end of the elephant’s trunk forming the “C” in “Côte d’Ivoire.”
The Ivory Coast logo is one of the best in all of soccer.
(ISSOUF SANOGO via Getty Images)
Croatia: Vatreni, Kockasti
Croatia’s national team is known as the “Vatreni,” which means “blazers” or “fiery ones” in the Croatian language. Another nickname for the team is “Kockasti,” meaning “the checkered ones,” a reference to the country’s red-and-white checkered crest in the center of its flag.
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Curaçao: The Blue Wave
The country’s official nickname is “The Blue Wave,” a reference to the ocean surrounding the small island nation. Curaçao, the smallest country to ever make the World Cup, also has a large sailboat as part of its crest.
Czechia: Repre
The Czech national team is known in the country as “Repre,” which means “the representatives” of the country. Czechia refers to its national team as “Česká fotbalová reprezentace” in Czech; “Repre” is short for that title.
Ecuador: La Tri
Like some of its South and Central American neighbors, Ecuador’s national team is known as “La Tri” or sometimes “La Tricolor,” in reference to the country’s yellow, blue and red tri-color flag.
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Egypt: The Pharaohs
The nickname for the Egyptian national team is one of the most fun, paying homage to the ancient kings of Egypt that ruled for centuries. Fans of the team will sometimes wear headdresses in the style of the Pharaohs when supporting their team.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JUNE13 : A fan of Egypt wearing a pharaoh head dress is seen on Nikolskaya Street a pedestrian street in Kitay-Gorod in Moscow on June 13, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
(Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA via Getty Images)
England: The Three Lions
The nickname for the English national team comes from the country’s iconic crest, which shows three blue lions surrounded by Tudor roses. As one of the oldest national football teams in the world, England’s crest has been in use for almost 150 years, leading to the moniker.
France’s identity as “Les Bleus” — “the blue,” in French — is inextricable from the team. The nickname originally comes from the team’s blue jerseys, selected from the country’s red-, white- and blue-striped flag. Now, the nickname has become as much of a part of the country as the team and its rooster crest, another key national symbol.
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Germany: DFB-Team
In very German fashion, all of the names for the Germany national team are incredibly practical. Germany refers to its team as the DFB Team — DFB being the name of the German national federation (Deutscher Fußball-Bund). Other “nicknames” include “Die Nationalelf” (The National Eleven) and “Die Mannschaft” (The Team).
Ghana: Black Stars
The Ghanaian team is known as the “Black Stars,” a reference to the country’s tricolor flag with a large black star in the middle. In addition to putting the star on their crest, both of Ghana’s kits feature the black star prominently, right in the center of the players’ chests.
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Haiti: Les Grenadiers, Les Bicolores
In Haiti, “Les Grenadiers” — a term for a foot soldier — comes from the country’s revolutionary history as a former French colony. Another nickname is “Les Bicolores,” in reference to Haiti’s flag, which is half red and half blue with its crest in the center.
The members of the Iranian national team are known simply as “Team Melli,” which means “national team” in Persian. Other older nicknames for the team include “Lions of Iran” and “Princes of Persia,” but it’s Team Melli that has stuck around.
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Iraq: Usood al-Rafidain (Lions of Mesopotamia)
The Iraqis also evoke its ancient history with this nickname, calling the national team the “Lions of Mesopotamia,” or “Usood al-Rafidain” in Arabic. Lions were an important symbol in ancient Babylon, representing royal power.
The Japanese also turned to the past for their moniker, evoking the samurai of ancient Japan, which remains an important cultural symbol in the country. The other half of the nickname references the royal blue jerseys worn by the team.
(Photo by Youssef Loulidi/Fantasista/Getty Images)
(Fantasista via Getty Images)
Jordan: Al-Nashama
Jordan, one of the debutantes at this summer’s World Cup, is nicknamed “Al-Nashama,” which means “the chivalrous” or “the noble” in Arabic.
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South Korea: Taegeuk Warriors, The Reds
South Korea’s team is known as the Taegeuk Warriors, with “taegeuk” referring to the yin-yang symbol at the center of the South Korean flag. The team has also been dubbed the Reds because of their red primary jerseys, leading the Korean supporters to call themselves “Red Devils.”
Mexico: El Tri
Not to be confused with Ecuador’s “La Tri,” Mexico is known as “El Tri” in reference to the country’s tricolor flag — green, white and red vertical stripes. The country incorporates all three colors into its jerseys as part of the distinction.
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Members of the Moroccan team are known as the Atlas Lions, one of the cooler nicknames in the tournament. Atlas lions is one of the names for the now-extinct Barbary lions, who were native to North Africa and Morocco’s Atlas Mountains.
Netherlands: Oranje
Orange is an important national color for the Netherlands, despite not being one of the colors of the Dutch flag (which is red, white and blue). That extends to the Dutch national team, who wear bright orange uniforms and are dubbed the “Oranje” (orange in Dutch). The Dutch have one of the best fanbases in the world, with thousands of orange-clad fans participating in a lengthy march to the match ahead of every game.
(Photo by Inaki Esnaola/Getty Images)
(Inaki Esnaola via Getty Images)
New Zealand: All Whites
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The New Zealand national team’s all-white primary kit inspired the team’s nickname in the run-up to the country’s first World Cup appearance in 1982. The moniker was introduced as a play on words for the All Blacks, the nickname for the New Zealand national rugby team (who wore all-black uniforms). In recent years, the team has considered changing the name in a nod to inclusively, but the nickname has stuck around for now.
Norway: Landslaget; Røde, Hvite, Blå
Norway’s players are known simply as “Landslaget,” or “national team” in Norwegian. The team is also sometimes called “Røde, Hvite, Blå” — red, white and blue — in reference to the country’s flag.
Panama: Los Canaleros, La Marea Roja
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Members of the Panamanian national team are called “Los Canaleros,” which translates to “The Canal Men” — a reference to the infamous Panama Canal. Fans also call the team “La Marea Roja,” meaning “the Red Tide.”
Paraguay: Los Guaraníes, La Albirroja
Paraguay’s first team nickname comes from the native Guaraní people, who are indigenous to Paraguay. The team’s iconic red-and-white striped jerseys inspired the other nickname, “La Albirroja” (the White and Red).
Portugal: Seleção das Quinas
The Portuguese Seleção (selection) has a nickname relating to the crest of the country’s flag. On that crest, there are five quincunxes, consisting of shields with five dots in the shape of a cross; Quinas, then, serves as shorthand for the country’s flag and other things that represent Portugal.
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Qatar: Al Annabi (The Maroons)
The Qatari national team is nicknamed “Al Annabi” in Arabic, which means “The Maroons.” The name references the maroon color of the country’s flag and its kits.
Saudi Arabia: Al-Suquor Al-Khodhur (The Green Falcons)
The Saudi Arabian national team is known as “Al-Suquor Al-Khodhur”, or the “Green Falcons,” as inspired by the country’s green kits. The country’s green crest then reflects that moniker, featuring the head of a falcon (with some nice soccer ball details). Fans also call the team “al-‘Akhdar,” which means “The Green.”
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Scotland: No official nickname
The Scottish national team isn’t called any particular name, though the country’s dedicated supporters are known as the Tartan Army.
Senegal: Lions de la Téranga
In Senegal, the national team is known as the Lions of Teranga, or sometimes just the Lions. Teranga (also Teraanga) is a Wolof word referring to the cultural spirit of hospitality and generosity in Senegal. The image of the lion is also reflected in the country’s crest.
The nickname “Bafana Bafana” literally means “the boys, the boys” in Zulu and other South African languages. It’s also the cheer that South African supporters — another exuberant fan base — does during every game.
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Spain: La Roja
The Spanish national team is known as “La Roja” — The Red — with the squad decked in a mostly red primary kit and boasting the country’s red-and-gold crest on their chests.
Sweden: Blågult
The nickname “Blågult,” meaning “The Blue and Yellow” in Swedish, is a simple offshoot of the blue-and-yellow colors of Sweden’s flag, and the team’s kits.
Switzerland: Nati, Rossocrociati
The Swiss national team is known simply as “Nati” by most supporters, a shorthand that works with any of the country’s four official languages. The team is also sometimes called the “Rossocrociati,” an Italian word that refers to the Swiss but means the “Red Crosses,” a reference to the Swiss cross on the country’s flag.
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Tunisia: Eagles of Carthage
The ancient city of Carthage serves as inspiration for Tunisia’s nickname. The bald eagle, which has become a symbol of the team, is featured on the team’s crest as part of the team branding.
Türkiye: Ay-Yıldızlılar, Bizim Çocuklar
Türkiye’s nickname, Ay-Yıldızlılar, means “The Crescent-Stars” in Turkish, and references the emblems on the country’s flag. Another common nickname is Bizim Çocuklar, which means “Our Boys” in Turkish.
Uruguay: La Celeste
For Uruguay, “La Celeste” (The Sky Blue) refers to the light blue kits that the country has worn for over 100 years. Those primary jerseys, which match the blue colors on the Uruguayan flag, are back for the time this summer.
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United States: USMNT, The Stars and Stripes
When talking about the United States men’s national team, most usually just shorten to the acronym USMNT. But “the Stars and Stripes” — a reference to the U.S. flag — has emerged as another popular moniker. This summer, the USMNT’s jerseys will even fit with that theme, with the team alternating between the red-and-white “Stripes” jersey and the dark blue “Stars” jersey.
Uzbekistan: White Wolves
Uzbekistan, another of the teams making its World Cup debut this June, is known by fans and media as the White Wolves.
