List of CAF national association football teams by nickname

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

Nicknames Men's Nicknames in italics are commonly used in English. TeamNicknameEnglish translationNotesالأفناك Les FennecsThe FennecsThe fennec fox is the national animal of Algeria.محاربي الصحراء Les Guerriers du DésertThe Desert WarriorsAlgeria is more than 80% desert.Palancas NegrasSable antelopesThe Giant sable antelope, found mostly in Angola, is its national symbol.Les ÉcureuilsThe SquirrelsBenin chose the Squirrels nickname to reflect a small nation aiming to climb high. The phrase was coined in the 1960s.DipitseThe ZebrasThe Zebra is the national Animal of Botswana. Two zebras adorn the Botswanan coat of arms, which shows that the animal is a symbol of national unity. Les ÉtalonsThe StallionsThe white stallion is the national symbol of Burkina Faso and it has 2 white stallions in its coat of arms.Les HirondellesBurundi Swallows The Angola 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. Lions IndomptablesIndomitable LionsThe national animal of Cameroon is the Lion and is a symbol of strength, power, and rules. Indomitable means unable to defeat.Tubarões AzuisBlue Sharks"Blue" is for the colour of the main jersey. Cape Verde is an island.Les FauvesThe Big Cats or The Wild BeastsNorthern 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.Les SaoThe SaoThe Sao Civilization is the ancestorial people of the current day Chad population. Les CoelecantesThe Coelacanths The coelacanth is a type of fish.Diables RougesRed DevilsFrom their all red uniform kits.Riverains de la Mer RougeShoremen of the Red SeaOnce 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.Les LéopardsThe LeopardsHome to a large population of African leopards. The coat of arms depicts a leopard head.الفراعنةThe PharaohsPharaoh was the common title of the monarchs of ancient Egypt. Nzalang NacionalThe National ThunderFrom the Equatorial climate of thunderstorms.ኣግማል ቀይሕ ባሕሪ Red Sea CamelsFrom 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.Sihalngu SemnikatiKing's ShieldFormerly Swaziland, The Swazi battle shield appears on the Swazi national flag and other flags related to Zulus.WalyasThe walia is a species of ibex indigenous to Ethiopia.Les PanthèresThe PanthersThe black panther is Gabon's national animal.ScorpionsThe 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.Black StarsThe Black Star is regarded as the national symbol of Ghana.Syli NationalNational ElephantsGuinea 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.DjurtusThe African wild dogsThe African wild dog is native to Africa, including Guinea-Bissau.Les ÉléphantsThe ElephantsFrom the African forest elephants which are abundant in the Ivory Coast.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.LikuenaCrocodilesFrom the coat of arms of Lesotho which is a crocodile on a Basotho shield.Lone StarsThe Lone Stars is the official nickname of Liberia once associated with the United States.فرسان المتوسط The Mediterranean KnightsFrom the 16th century Knights who policed the Mediterranean and assumed responsibility of its traditional protectors.Les BaréaThe BareaA species of zebu.The FlamesFrom the Malawian flag with flames of a rising sun.Les AiglesThe EaglesFrom the traditional hunting eagles of the Tuareg.المرابطونThe AlmoravidsFrom 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.Club MReference to the initial for Mauritius.Les DodosThe DodosAn extinct bird endemic to Mauritius.أسود الأطلسLes Lions de l'AtlasThe Atlas LionsFrom the Barbary lion which is a Panthera lion population in North Africa.Os MambasThe MambasThe most venomous snake in Africa.Brave WarriorsFrom the indigenous warriors of Namibia including the Herero warriors.Le MenaThe MenaA species of antelope.Super Eagles From the country's crest which has the eagle which represents strengthClub RIn reference to the initial for Réunion.AmavubiThe WaspsFrom the African wasp found in Rwanda.Os Verde-AmarelosThe Green-YellowsFrom the country's flag which is green and yellow.Les Lions de la TérangaThe Lions of TerangaTeranga is a word that you hear a lot in Senegal. It's a Wolof word, meaning hospitality or welcoming generosity. The Senegalese coat of arms features a lion."Insults Awaiting Senegal's Lions," 1 February 2008, http://www.africanews.comThe Seychelles PiratesThe countless islands of Seychelles were known to harbor pirates and corsairs in the 1800sThe Leones StarsFrom the shortened country name.Ocean StarsFrom the blue and star on its flag and its neighboring of the Indian Ocean.Bafana BafanaBoys 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" The Bright StarsThe bright star on the Sudan flag.صقور الجديانFalcons of Jediane (The Secretarybirds)The secretarybird is an important bird in Sudanese culture it is found in its emblem and coat of arms. Nile CrocodilesThe Nile crocodile is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries including Sudan.Kilimanjaro StarsKilimanjaro with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa.Taifa StarsTaifa translates to "Nation" in Swahili.Les ÉperviersThe Sparrow hawksThe 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.نسور قرطاج Les Aigles de CarthageEagles of CarthageThe 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.The CranesThe Golden crested crane is the national bird of Uganda.ChipolopoloThe Copper BulletsCopper mining is the major economic activity in Zambia.KK 11Used during the 1980s, after the founding president Kenneth Kaunda.Zanzibar HeroesFrom the Island name.The LeopardsThe Zanzibar leopard is an extirpated leopard population on Unguja Island in the Zanzibar archipelago.The WarriorsFrom the historic warrior spirit of the indigenous Zimbabwe.

Women's TeamNicknameEnglish translationNotesالأفناك The The FennecsThe fennec fox is the national animal of Algeria. The WelwitschiasThe Welwitschia mirabilis is the national flower of Angola. The MaresThe 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. A female Zebra is called a mare. Étalons DamesLady StallionsThe white stallion is the national symbol of Burkina Faso and it has 2 white stallions in its coat of arms.Les HirondellesSwallowsThe 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.Lionnes IndomptablesIndomitable LionessesThe national animal of Cameroon is the mighty Lion. The Lion is the symbol of strength, power, and rules. Indomitable means unable to defeat.Léopards damesLeopardessHome 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. Harambee Starlets"Harambee" is Kenya's official motto and is present in its coat of arms. It means "Let's all pull together" in Swahili. Super FalconsFrom the country's football crest which has the eagle which represents strength Banyana BanyanaGirls Girls"Banyana Banyana" is a nickname given to the national women's side by its fans. It is Sotho-Tswana and Nguni and translates literally as "the girls, the girls". Its actual meaning is, "Go girls" نسور قرطاج Les Aigles de CarthageEagles of CarthageThe 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. The Crested CranesThe Golden crested crane is the national bird of Uganda. Copper QueensCopper mining is the major economic activity in Zambia.Zanzibar Queens From the Island name.Mighty Warriors From the historic warrior spirit of the indigenous Zimbabwe.

See also List of national association football teams by nickname

References