Football, as a sport, plays an important role in cultures across Africa. The passion swelling in designated stadia during The CAF Africa Cup of Nations explains why all African national football teams have nicknames.
In fact, most of these teams are recognized locally by their nicknames instead of their official country name.

How do African teams come up with the nicknames?
The nicknames of African football teams reflect the rich African culture. Different countries have different references and inspirations behind their national soccer teams’ nicknames.
For example, some of the names of African national teams have a wildlife reference, like The Lions of Teranga from Senegal and DRC’s Leopards.
Other nicknames for African football teams carry with them the history of the country. The Pharaohs from Egypt and Morocco’s Lions of Chinguetti (Men’s team) and Mourabitounes (women’s team) stand out in this regard.
Some of the African national football teams’ nicknames are more intimidating and imposing, like the Indomitable Lions from Cameroon, with five AFCON titles and three podium finishes.

Some nicknames have a native reference to the country. For instance, the Comoros national football team have adopted their nickname “the Coelacanths” from an endangered species of exotic fish species believed to come from the region.
Teams like South Africa’s Bafana Bafana got their nickname from the fans. The name Bafana directly translates to “Boys”. The South African women’s national football team go by Banyana Banyana.
All African National teams and their nicknames
Team | Nickname | Team | Nickname |
---|---|---|---|
Algeria | Desert Fighters | Libya | The Mediterranean Knights |
Angola | The Sable Antelopes | Madagascar | The Barea |
Benin | The Squirrels | Mali | The Eagles |
Botswana | The Zebras | Mauritius | The Dogs |
Burkina Faso | The Stallions | Morocco | The Atlas Lions |
Burundi | The Swallows | Mozambique | The Mambas |
Central African Republic | The Big Cats | Niger | The Mena |
Cape Verde | The Blue Sharks | Nigeria | The Super Eagles |
Djibouti | Riverains de la Mer Rouge (“Shoremen of the Red Sea”) | Namibia | Brave Warriors |
Eritrea | The Camels | Rwanda | The Wasps (Men’s team) and She-Amavubi (Women’s team) |
Ethiopia | The Walia (Men’s team), Lucy (Women’s team) | Sudan | The Nile Crocodile (Mean’s team) and The Challenge / Al-Tahadi (women’s team) |
Gabon | The Black Panthers | Sierra Leone | The Leones Stars |
Gambia | The Scorpions | Somali | Ocean Stars |
Guinea | National Elephants | South Sudan | Bright Stars |
Guinea Bissau | The African Dogs | Swaziland | Super Falcons |
Ghana | The Black Stars (Men’s Team), the Black Queens (Women’s team) | Togo | The Sparrow Hawks |
Ivory Coast | The Elephants | Tunisia | The Carthege Eagles |
Kenya | Harambee Stars (Men) and Harambee Starlets (Women) | Tanzania | Taifa or Kilimanjaro stars |
Lesotho | The Crocodiles | Uganda | The Cranes |
Liberia | Lone Stars | Zambia | Copper Bullets |
Some of these nicknames have become more famous than the official names of African national teams.
Teams like Harambee Stars from Kenya are always referred to by their nickname, as is the Women’s team, Harambee Starlets.