What are the EURO 2024 teams' nicknames?
Saturday, June 8, 2024
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Meet a falcon, a devil and two-headed eagle as we investigate the UEFA EURO 2024 contenders' alternative addresses.
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Dusting off the encyclopaedias and scouring the history books, we delve deep to unearth the acceptable second mentions for every UEFA EURO 2024 contender and the stories behind the nations' nicknames.
Group A
Germany – Nationalelf (National Eleven), DFB-Elf (DFB Eleven), Die Nationalmannschaft (The National Team)
German fans like to keep it simple when it comes to describing the national team. The DFB-Elf is a nod to the German Football Association (DFB).
Scotland – The Tartan Army
The team has no nickname, but The Tartan Army became the name used for good-natured Scotland fans; Andy Cameron's song for the team's 1978 FIFA World Cup appearance was called Ally's Tartan Army ('Ally' being manager Ally MacLeod). Tartan is the traditional criss-cross Scottish patterned cloth, with individual variants belonging to the nation's various component clans.
Hungary – Magyarok (Hungarians), Magyar Válogatott (Hungarian National Team)
The Magyars are the ethnic group native to Hungary, and the nation calls itself Magyarország (though the popular "'Ria, 'Ria, Hungária" chant uses the Latin name more commonly used outside Hungary). The dazzling Hungarian national team of the 1950s, captained by Ferenc Puskás, were known to English speakers as the Magical Magyars or Marvellous Magyars. However, Hungarians tend to refer to the national side as the magyar válogatott or, more simply, the válogatott (The National Team). Worth noting that Hungarians are sparing in their use of capital letters!
Switzerland – A-Team, Nati (National Team), Rossocrociati (Red Crosses)
With four official languages (French, German, Italian and Romansh) the Swiss opt for simplicity with Nati and (less commonly) A-Team. The nickname Rossocrociati is more common among Italian speakers, referring to Switzerland’s square-shaped flag depicting a white cross on a red background.
Group B
Spain – La Roja (The Red One), La Furia Española (The Spanish Fury)
Spain's hard-bitten, silver medal-winning side of the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp were first dubbed La Furia Española, owing to their fierce, aggressive and direct style as well as their red shirts. The 'tiki-taka' sides of the 21st century go simply by La Roja.
Croatia – Vatreni (Blazers/Fiery Ones)
The late Croatian writer Josip Prudeus first coined the term Vatreni in 1996, penning the lyrics to the football anthem 11 Vatrenih (11 Fiery Ones). The nickname encapsulated the team's brave, combative performances and their eye-catching chequered kit, and caught on among fans.
Italy – Gli Azzurri (The Blues), La Nazionale (The National Team)
Known as the Tricolore, Italy’s national flag features bold green, white and red stripes, so why did they end up being The Blues? The answer is to honour the colour of the Royal House of Savoy, which unified the nation in 1861. Italy played their first international game in white shirts (a 6-2 win against France in 1910), but then switched to blue, and stuck with the colour after Italy voted to become a republic in 1946.
Albania – Kuqezinjtë (Red and Blacks), Shqiponjat (the Eagles)
Albania's nicknames are derived from two elements of the national flag, which was officially adopted when Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. The red flag with a black two-headed eagle had long been a symbol for the nation and is said to have been used by national hero Gjergj 'Skënderbeu' Kastrioti, who led the resistance against the Ottomans in the 15th century.
Group C
Slovenia – Reprezentanca (National Team)
The most common name is the simple Reprezentanca. Interestingly, the team's spiky-topped mascot Trigi takes his name from Mount Triglav, which at just under 3,000m is the tallest mountain in Slovenia and an important national symbol. The mountain's jagged profile features on the Slovenian national coat of arms as well as the national team shirt.
Denmark – De Rød-Hvide (The Red-White), Danish Dynamite
"We are red, we are white, we are Danish Dynamite," went the chorus of Denmark's EURO '84 song by the late sports journalist Gunnar 'Nu' Hansen. Known as the Dannebrog, the national flag of a white cross on a red field inspires both the national team kit and the Rød-Hvide tag.
Serbia – Orlovi (Eagles)
Serbia's nickname derives from the white two-headed eagle on a red background that appears on the national coat of arms. Serbia inherited the Yugoslavian national team's nickname Plavi (Blues) following the break-up of the country but have since switched to red shirts and a nickname of their own.
England – Three Lions
England's badge shows a trio of lions 'passant guardant' (walking with heads turned full-face) surrounded by ten Tudor roses, which are traditional heraldic emblems of England. Since the reign of Richard I (The Lionheart) in the 12th century, every English monarch's royal arms have featured three lions.
Group D
Poland – Biało-czerwoni (White-Red), Orły (The Eagles)
The reason behind Poland's national colours is a little mysterious, but white and red have been the nation's official colours since the 18th century, and the earliest use of the national coat of arms (an eagle on a red shield which also appears on the football team badge) dates back to the 13th century. The eagle is always white, and in addition to a golden crown, also has golden talons.
Netherlands – Oranje, Clockwork Orange
Orange symbolises the Netherlands' royal family, the House of Orange, hence their brightly coloured shirts and Dutch-language nickname, Oranje. Runners-up at the FIFA World Cups of 1974 and 1978, the Netherlands side of that era were even dubbed Clockwork Orange for the mechanical brilliance of their 'total football' style, although you rarely hear them being called that today.
Austria – Das Team (The Team)
Austria's nickname is fairly self-explanatory.
France – Les Bleus (The Blues)
Les Bleus is taken from France's blue shirts and the left band of the Tricolore flag. Blue is ingrained in French history, appearing in heraldry as a national colour as far back as the 12th century.
Group E
Belgium – De Rode Duivels, Les Diables Rouges, Die Roten Teufel (The Red Devils)
In a 1905 Low Countries derby between Belgium and the Netherlands, the Dutch press reported that some Belgium players "worked like devils". Referencing their red shirts, the national team were soon known as the Belgian Red Devils (with the name translated into Belgium's three official languages: Dutch, French and German).
Slovakia – Repre (Representatives), Sokoli (Falcons)
Repre is still the most common byword for the Slovakia national team, but the term is less useful to foreigners since it is also used for the Czechia team. Sokoli was introduced in 2015 by the Slovak Football Association on the grounds that the "acumen, speed, dexterity and savagery" of a falcon encapsulated the qualities of the nation's best players.
Romania – Tricolorii (Tricolours)
France are also called the Tricolours from time to time, but Romania have used the nickname consistently. The colours of the Romanian flag are red, yellow and blue, with the yellow that dominates the national team's kits supposedly signifying the grandeur and wealth of the country.
Ukraine – Synio-Zhovti (Blue-Yellow)
Opinions differ, but most Ukrainians understand that the national colours represent the blue of the sky and the gold of the nation's wheat fields.
Group F
Türkiye – Ay-Yıldızlılar (The Crescent-Stars), Bizim Çocuklar (Our Boys)
Türkiye's celestial moniker borrows from the elements of their national flag: a white crescent and star on a red background. First seen in ancient Byzantium (the site of the current Istanbul), the star and crescent became a symbol of the Ottoman Empire, which existed from the 13th to the 20th centuries. #BizimÇocuklar (literally #OurChildren) is a popular social media hashtag.
Georgia – Jvarosnebi (Crusaders)
The white and red of Georgia's shirt is a nod to the colours of the national flag, which are also those of the nation's patron saint, St George (England share the same patron saint and, as a result, a not dissimilar flag). Georgia are the Crusaders as a nod to the medieval Kingdom of Georgia's religiously inspired battles from the 11th century onwards.
Portugal – A Seleção (The Selection), Equipa das Quinas (The Shields Team), Lusos (Lusitanians)
Equipa das Quinas is a nod to the five blue shields on the Portuguese badge. The Roman province of Lusitania covered much of modern Portugal as well as a large chunk of western Spain.
Czechia – Národní tým (National team), Repre (Representatives), Hrdí lvi (Proud Lions)
Národní tým (or Národ'ák for short) is commonly used along with Repre, which is an abbreviation of Reprezentace. More recently, the Hrdí lvi (Proud Lions) campaign introduced two popular mascots, Lion and Lioness, with a nod to the Czech national crest. Hrdí lvi is taking hold among fans of the senior side, but many supporters have stuck with Češi (Czechs) or Naši (Our Boys).