GUIDE TO NICKNAMES

Know some nicknames that we don’t? If your answer is in the affirmative, share them! E-mail us at football‍@‍goobnet.net.

EXPLANATIONS

Women’s football nicknames are rarer, but in general much cooler than their male counterparts. A few, like les Bleues and the Azzurre, are just female modifications of the men’s teams names. The Matildas are a reference to the song “Waltzing Matilda”, whilst the Cleopatras are a reference to the eponymous Egyptian monarch. “Mehalalitoe” means “lilies”, and “Chipolopolo” of “Chipolopolo Queens” means “bullets”. The “Steel Roses”, which I feel is the best nickname of any team in any sport anywhere, evidently refers to their combination of strength and grace.

THANKS TO

Devon points out that Canada are the Big Red, and even points us to a fan website: http://www.gobigred.ca/.

If you ever want to know the nickname of Ghana’s U-20 men’s national side [the Black Satellites, apparently], there’s only one place to go. Over on SportScheduler, they’ve got an exhaustive list of African team nicknames for men’s, women’s, and youth teams alike. Much thanks to them for collecting the African names listed above.