Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Black Stars, White Eagles and the Orange: World Cup Team Nicknames

There are lots of interesting team nicknames in international soccer, and some of the best are on display in the 2010 World Cup. The host country, South Africa, has one of the best: Bafana Bafana (though it's translation, "The Boys," isn't all that creative; still Bafana Bafana sounds pretty cool). In addition to South Africa, the African continent supplies plenty of other good ones as well:

Nigeria: Super Eagles
Cameroon: Indomitable Lions
Algeria: Desert Foxes
Ivory Coast: The Elephants
Ghana: Black Stars

Here are some other quality selections:
Australia: Socceroos
England: The Three Lions
Japan: Blue Samurai
Brazil: Seleção (The Selection)
Slovenia: Dragons

And of course, national colors often play a big role in team nicknames. Spain probably the best when it comes to this category.
Spain: La Furia Roja (The Red Fury)
Italy: Azzurri (Sky Blues)
France: Les Blues
Holland: Oranje (Orange)
Argentina: Albiceleste (White and sky blue)

We can't leave out the U.S. and Germany. America's squad goes by The Yanks, which is decent. Germany has several, but my personal favorite is National Elf, which, when translated, means "National Eleven," (for the 11 players on the field). Still, funny to picture 11 elves running around.

A good list of nicknames can be found here, so check that out if you want a complete list.

What's your favorite team name? Think the U.S. could be a little more adventurous than "The Yanks"? Leave your comments and ideas.