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The 2018 FIFA World Cup officially kicks off on Thursday, June 14. Without the United States in the mix, American soccer fans will be looking elsewhere for a team to root on when the tournament is underway. If you’re one of the fans looking to adopt a nation, there is plenty of information you will need to know. Perhaps the most important aspect of adopting a team is understanding what to call them.
That’s where things get complicated.
All 32 nations in the World Cup have a nickname to go along with their country name. So while you may think you are rooting for Mo Salah and Egypt, you’re going to sound like a soccer noob unless you start calling Salah’s team “The Pharoahs.” You also have well-known nicknames like The Three Lions (England), The Super Eagles (Nigeria), El Tri (Mexico), Los Cafeteros (Colombia), which translates to “The Coffee Growers,” The Socceroos (Australia), and many more.
In fact, a catchy nickname may be all you need to determine which team you are going to be rooting for when the tournament kicks off.
The full list of team nicknames for the 2018 FIFA World Cup can be seen below.
2018 World Cup Nicknames
Argentina – La Albiceleste (White and Sky Blues)
Australia – The Socceroos
Belgium – Les Diables Rouges (Red Devils)
Brazil – Selecao (The selection)
Colombia – Los Cafeteros (The Coffee Growers)
Costa Rica – Los Ticos (Spanish slang for Costa Rica natives)
Croatia – Vatreni (The Blazers)
Denmark – Danish Dynamite
Egypt – The Pharaohs
England – The Three Lions
France – Les Bleus (The Blues)
Germany – Die Mannschaft (The Team)
Iceland – Strakamir Okkar (Our Boys)
Iran – Shirane Pars (The Lions of Persia)
Japan – Samurai Blue
South Korea – Asian Tigers
Mexico – El Tri
Morocco – Atlas Lions
Nigeria – The Super Eagles
Panama – Marea Roja (The Red Tide)
Peru – Los Incas
Poland – Polskie Orly (The Polish Eagles)
Portugal – Seleccao das Quinas (Team of the Castles)
Russia – Sbornaya (Team)
Saudi Arabia – Al Sogour Al Akhdar (The Green Falcons)
Senegal – Les Lions de la Teranga (The Lions of Teranga)
Serbia – Orlovi (The Eagles)
Spain – La Furia Roja (The Red Fury)
Sweden – Blagult (The Blue and Yellows)
Switzerland – Rossocrociati (The Red Crusaders)
Tunisia – Les Aigles de Carthage (The Eagles of Carthage)
Uruguay – Charruas (A warrior tribe in Uruguay)
