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List of CAF national association football teams by nickname

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The following is a list of nicknames of Confederation of African Football (CAF) national association football teams.

Nicknames

[edit]
  • Nicknames in italics are commonly used in English.
Team Nickname English translation Notes Ref.
 Algeria الأفناك
Les Fennecs 		The Fennecs The fennec fox is the national animal of Algeria. [1]
محاربي الصحراء
Les Guerriers du Désert 		The Desert Warriors Algeria is more than 80 percent desert. [2][3]
 Angola Palancas Negras Sable antelopes The Giant sable antelope, found mostly in Angola, is its national symbol. [4]
 Benin Les Écureuils The Squirrels Benin chose the Squirrels nickname to reflect a small nation aiming to climb high. The phrase was coined in the 1960s. [5]
 Botswana Dipitse The Zebras The Zebra is the national Animal of Botswana. Two zebras adorn the Botswana coat of arms, which shows that the animal is a symbol of national unity. [6]
 Burkina Faso Les Étalons The Stallions The white stallion is the national symbol of Burkina Faso and it has 2 white stallions in its coat of arms. [7]
 Burundi Les Hirondelles Burundi Swallows The Angolan swallow is a species of a swallow that is native in the African tropical environment. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. [8][9]
 Cameroon Lions Indomptables Indomitable Lions The national animal of Cameroon is the mighty Lion. The Lion is the symbol of strength, power, and rules. Indomitable means unable to defeat. [10]
 Cameroon (Women's) Lionnes Indomptables Indomitable Lionesses [11]
 Cape Verde Tubarões Azuis Blue Sharks "Blue" is for the colour of the main jersey. [12][13][14]
 Central African Republic Les Fauves The Big Cats or The Wild Beasts Northern Central African Republic historically supported some the most pristine wilderness and intact and abundant wildlife assemblages in Africa, including species of global importance such as the big cats. [15]
 Chad Les Sao The Sao The Sao Civilization is the ancestorial people of the current day Chad population. [16]
 Comoros Les Coelecantes The Coelacanths The coelacanth is a type of fish. [17]
 Congo Diables Rouges Red Devils From their all red uniform kits. [18]
 Djibouti Riverains de la Mer Rouge Shoremen of the Red Sea Once a French colony it borders the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the east and its most important commercial activities revolve around the country's free trade policies and strategic location as a Red Sea transit point. [19]
 DR Congo Les Léopards The Leopards Home to a large population of African Leopards, also 1971 to 1997 when the nation was known as Zaire, the coat of arms depicted a leopard head, below it a pair of crossed spears, around it a branch and an elephant tusk. [20]
 Egypt الفراعنة The Pharaohs Pharaoh was the common title of the monarchs of ancient Egypt. [21]
 Equatorial Guinea Nzalang Nacional The National Thunder From the Equatorial climate of thunderstorms. [22]
 Eritrea ኣግማል ቀይሕ ባሕሪ Red Sea Camels From the national emblem of Eritrea which was adopted on 24 May 1993 on the occasion of Eritrea's declaration of independence from Ethiopia. The emblem mainly depicts a camel surrounded by a wreath of laurel. [23]
 Eswatini Sihalngu Semnikati King's Shield Formerly Swaziland, The Swazi battle shield appears on the Swazi national flag and other flags related to Zulus. [24][25]
 Ethiopia Walyas The walia is a species of ibex indigenous to Ethiopia. [26]
 Gabon Les Panthères The Panthers The black panther is Gabon's national animal. [27]
 Gambia Scorpions The emperor scorpion, also known as the Pandinus imperator, is a species of scorpion native to rainforests and savannas in West Africa, especially in Gambia. It is one of the largest scorpions in the world and lives for 6–8 years. [28]
 Ghana Black Stars The Black Star is regarded as the national symbol of Ghana. [4]
 Guinea Syli National National Elephants Guinea is home to the African Elephant and a former coat of arms in 1960 featured a red and yellow shield with a green elephant on it. [29]
 Guinea-Bissau Djurtus The African wild dogs The African wild dog is a species of canid. [30]
 Ivory Coast Les Éléphants The Elephants From the African forest elephants which are abundant in the Ivory Coast. [4]
 Kenya Harambee Stars "Harambee" is Kenya's official motto and is present in its coat of arms. It means "Let's all pull together" in Swahili. [31][32]
 Kenya (Women's) Harambee Starlets [33][34]
 Lesotho Likuena Crocodiles From the coat of arms of Lesotho which is a crocodile on a Basotho shield. [35]
 Liberia Lone Stars The Lone Stars is the official nickname of Liberia a once associated with the United States. [36]
 Libya فرسان المتوسط The Mediterranean Knights From the 16th century Knights who policed the Mediterranean and assumed responsibility of its traditional protectors. [37]
 Madagascar Les Baréa The Barea A species of zebu. [38]
 Malawi The Flames From the Malawian flag with flames of a rising sun. [39]
 Mali Les Aigles The Eagles From the traditional hunting eagles of the Tuareg. [40]
 Mauritania المرابطون The Almoravids From the Almoravid dynasty which was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus. [41]
 Mauritius Club M Reference to the initial for Mauritius. [41]
Les Dodos The Dodos An extinct bird endemic to Mauritius. [42]
 Morocco أسود الأطلس
Les Lions de l'Atlas 		The Atlas Lions From the Barbary lion which is a Panthera lion population in North Africa. [43]
 Mozambique Os Mambas The Mambas The most venomous snake in Africa. [41]
 Namibia Brave Warriors From the indigenous warriors of Namibia including the brave Herero warriors [28]
 Niger Le Mena The Mena A species of antelope. [44]
 Nigeria Super Eagles From the country's football crest which has the eagle which represents strength [45][46]
 Nigeria (Women's) Super Falcons [47][48]
 Réunion Club R In reference to the initial for Réunion. [49]
 Rwanda Amavubi The Wasps From the African Wasp belonging to the order, Hymenoptera found in Rwanda. [50]
 São Tomé and Príncipe Os Verde-Amarelos The Green-Yellows From the country's flag which is green and yellow. [41]
 Senegal Les Lions de la Téranga The Lions of Teranga Teranga is a word that you hear a lot in Senegal. It's a Wolof word, meaning hospitality or welcoming generosity. [51]
 Seychelles The Seychelles Pirates The countless islands of Seychelles were known to harbor pirates and corsairs in the 1800s [52]
 Sierra Leone The Leones Stars From the shortened country name. [41]
 Somalia Ocean Stars From the blue and star on its flag and its neighboring of the Indian Ocean. [citation needed]
 South Africa Bafana Bafana Boys Boys "Bafana Bafana" is a nickname given to the national side by its fans. It is Zulu and translates literally as "the boys, the boys". Its actual meaning in Zulu is, "Go boys" [53][54]
 South Africa (Women's) Banyana Banyana Girls Girls "Banyana Banyana" is a nickname given to the national women side by its fans. It is seSotho and translates literally as "the girls, the girls". Its actual meaning in seSotho is, "Go girls" [55]
 South Sudan The Bright Stars The bright star on the Sudan flag. [56]
 Sudan صقور الجديان Falcons of Jediane (The Secretarybirds) The secretarybird is an important bird in Sudanese culture it is found in its emblem and coat of arms. [57]
Nile Crocodiles The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries including Sudan. [58]
 Tanzania Kilimanjaro Stars Kilimanjaro with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa. [59]
Taifa Stars Taifa translates to "Nation" in Swahili. [60][61]
 Togo Les Éperviers The Sparrow hawks The Eurasian sparrowhawk, also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in Togo. [4]
 Tunisia نسور قرطاج
Les Aigles de Carthage 		Eagles of Carthage The Carthaginian Empire extended over much of the coast of Northwest Africa as well as encompassing substantial parts of coastal Iberia and the islands of the western Mediterranean Sea part of which is modern-day Tunisia. [4]
 Uganda The Cranes The Golden crested crane is the national bird of Uganda. [62]
 Zambia Chipolopolo The Copper Bullets Copper mining is the major economic activity in Zambia. [63]
KK 11 Used during the 1980s, after the founding president Kenneth Kaunda. [64]
 Zanzibar Zanzibar Heroes From the Island name. [65]
The Leopards The Zanzibar leopard is a leopard population on Unguja Island in the Zanzibar archipelago. [65]
 Zimbabwe The Warriors From the historic warrior spirit of the indigenous Zimbabwe. [28]

See also

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References

[edit]
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