From sharks to lions to eagles… the story of the titles of African football teams | sports

Football teams are distinguished by their nicknames and titles, but in Africa the matter takes a different form, as the team’s nickname is inseparable from its national and football identity, and is closely linked to it.

These names come from the most ferocious animals, such as the lion and the cheetah, to the most agile, such as the gazelle, through the largest, such as the elephant, and from the most cunning and powerful raptors, such as the eagle and the hawk, and from the most deadly fish, such as the blue shark, and this may be related to what is found in the African forests.

A few of them stray far from these labels, such as Bafana Bafana (the boys), the Black Stars and the Copper Bombs.

Before the start of the African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast between January 13 and February 11, 2024, this is the meaning of each nickname and title for all 24 teams participating in the continental tournament.

The first group

• Elephants (Ivory Coast): Because of their role in the ivory trade, Ivory Coast was given the name elephants, as this animal is a national symbol in the country.
• Premier Eagles (Nigeria): The eagle is the national symbol of Nigeria and the state emblem. Until 1994, the team was nicknamed the “Green Eagles” after the color of the flag and the team’s uniform, before it was changed to the Premier Eagles in commemoration of the 1994 generation that participated in the World Cup for the first time.
• National Thunder (Equatorial Guinea): The Equatorial Guinea national team is nicknamed “Nzalang Nacional” in the Fang national language, a symbol of the thunder phenomenon that characterizes the country, which is divided between the western coast of the continent and the island of Bioko in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Wild dogs (Guinea Bissau): In the local dialect of the people of Guinea-Bissau, the name “djurtos” is given to the African wild dogs that characterize the country, and have become rare due to their exposure to extinction.

It will start next January.. Which groups in the African Cup of Nations are the strongest, in your opinion? pic.twitter.com/gmpDSzKcvW

– Al Jazeera Net Sports (@AJASports) December 21, 2023

the second group

• Pharaohs (Egypt): In reference to ancient Egyptian civilization, the Egyptian national team – the record holder in winning the Nations Cup (7) – takes the Pharaohs as its nickname.
• Black Stars (Ghana): The black star in the center of Ghana's flag symbolizes the African continent and has become an emblem of patriotism and liberation movements. The largest square in its capital, Accra, is called Black Star Square.
• Blue sharks (Cape Verde): Cape Verde represents an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands and is famous for the presence of more than 60 species of sharks, which made the Blue Sharks the nickname of the national team, as it combines sharks with the color of the country’s flag.
• Mamba snakes (Mozambique): “Os Mambas” in Portuguese is the nickname of the Mozambique national team, after the black mamba snake that is widespread in the south of the continent.

The third group

• Teranga Lions (Senegal): In the Wolof language of western Africa, Teranga means warm reception and hospitality, and from it the Senegalese people adopted a way of life.
• Untamed lions (Cameroon): Like many African countries, the lion is Cameroon's national symbol. The name goes back to former Cameroonian President Ahmadou Ahidjo, who came up with the idea.
• National Elephant (Guinea): Guineans call their national team “Sele Nacional”, and the word “Sele” means elephant in the local Susu dialect.
• Scorpions (Gambia): Until 1985, the Gambia national team did not have any nickname, which prompted some journalists to launch a popular campaign to suggest the name. The “scorpions” were settled, and although Gambia had no association with the scorpion, the Minister of Sports at the time said that the country resembled a scorpion, in that it was small but its sting was fatal.

Fourth group

• Desert foxes (Algeria): The fennec fox is a unique type of small fox found in the Algerian desert, and from it the Algerian national team took its nickname, along with the nickname “Desert Warriors.”
• Horses (Burkina Faso): The emblem of Burkina Faso bears two horses. The story goes back to an ancient legend about a princess who fled on horseback to marry her lover, and her son later founded the Mossi Kingdom, which is considered the origin of the state of Burkina Faso.
• Almoravids (Mauritania): The Almoravid Berber movement arose in Mauritania in the 11th century. The name “Al-Mourabitoun” was associated with Mauritania, so the football team chose it as its symbol.
• Black deer (Angola): The giant black deer, or sable antelope (Palanca nigra), a rare species of deer, is widespread in the area between the Kwango and Kwando rivers in Angola.

Fifth group

Hannibal is the most prominent absentee from the Tunisian national team in the 2023 African Nations https://t.co/KN9UqQpsmj pic.twitter.com/7WoanffDxQ

– Al Jazeera Net Sports (@AJASports) December 28, 2023

• Eagles of Carthage (Tunisia): The Tunisian national team chose the eagle as its symbol, as an expression of strength and speed. To distinguish it from other African teams bearing the title of Eagles, the word “Carthage” was added, in reference to the city of Carthage, which is considered the cradle of the ancient Phoenician civilization, and the capital of the ancient Tunisian state in this era.
• Eagles (Mali): The eagle represents the national symbol of Mali, and the Mali national team suffices with it without adding another word to its nickname.
• Bafana Bafana (South Africa): After returning from suspension due to the apartheid regime, in December 1992 the fans chanted against Cameroon “Bafana Bafana” or “Come on boys, come on boys” in the local dialect to motivate the players to achieve a historic victory. It was associated with the national team and became its official name.
• Brave Warriors (Namibia): Namibia struggled for long periods until it finally gained independence in 1990 after decades of German and then South African occupation. As a result of this struggle, Namibia was called the “Land of Brave Warriors”, a name that was carried over to the country's national football team.

Sixth group

11 players will be absent from the Moroccan national team’s roster for the 2023 African Nationshttps://t.co/QlRvbslcpv pic.twitter.com/Cn0RPJKSB5

– Al Jazeera Net Sports (@AJASports) December 28, 2023

• Atlas Lions (Morocco): In the middle of the twentieth century, the “Barbary lion” or “Atlas lion” breed that lived in the North African desert, from the Western Desert of Egypt to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, became extinct. In commemoration of this dynasty, the name Atlas Lions was given to the Moroccan national team, champion of the Cup of Nations in 1976.
• Leopards (DR Congo): The name of the Panthers was associated with the time the country was named “Zaire”, especially during the presidency of Mobutu Sese Seko, who was famous for wearing the skin of the leopard as his national costume. After the overthrow of Mobutu, it was decided to change the team's name to “Simba” or “Lion”, before renaming it “Cheetahs” again based on the desire of the fans.
• Chipolopolo (Zambia): In the beginning, the Zambian national team was known as “KK11” after the country’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda, before the name was changed to Shibulopulu, or “Copper Bullets” in the local Bemba language. The name comes from the copper mines that Zambia is famous for and which are the country's primary source of income.
• Nation Stars (Tanzania): Tanzania's national team is known as the “Taifa Stars” or the nation's stars in the Swahili language of East Africa. The team was previously known as the “Kilimanjaro Stars” after the famous mountain in Tanzania, before the name was changed to the Taifa Stars.