List of AFC national association football teams by nickname

The following is a list of nicknames of AFC national association football teams.

Nicknames
  • Nicknames in italics are commonly used in English.
Team Nickname English translation Notes Ref.
 Afghanistan Širhâi Khorasan The Lions of Khorasan Afghanistan or the Greater Khorasan Region which is also known as the land of Lions. [1]
 Australia Socceroos Blend word formed by "Soccer" and "Kangaroo". [2]
 Australia (Women's) Matildas From the Australian folk song "Waltzing Matilda". [3]
 Bahrain الذئب الأحمر The Red Wolves,

The Reds,

The Bahrain Flag was historically Red before white was added in 1820. It now has 5 white points signifying the 5 pillars of Islam. [4]
 Bangladesh Bengal Tigers The royal Bengal tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh. [5]
 Bhutan Druk Eleven Dragon Boys The Druk is the "Thunder Dragon" of Tibetan and Bhutanese mythology and a Bhutanese national symbol. [6]
 Brunei Tebuan The Wasps / Hornets The Tebuan or Oriental hornet is a social insect. It can be found in Southwest Asia, Northeast Africa, the island of Madagascar, the Middle East and parts of Southern Europe. [7]
 Cambodia Krom Chumreswcheit The National Team Angkor was the capital city of the Khmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. Angkor was a megacity, supporting at least 0.1% of the global population during 1010–1220. [8]
អ្នកចម្បាំងអង្គរ Angkor Warriors [9]
គោព្រៃកម្ពុជា Kouprey Kampuchea The kouprey also called the grey ox is a little-known, forest-dwelling, wild bovine species from Southeast Asia. [10]
 China PR 龙之队 The Dragons The Chinese dragon, also known as East Asian dragon or Long, are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and East Asian culture at large. [11]
中国队 Team China [12]
 China PR (Women's) 铿锵玫瑰 The Steel Roses In the 1999 World Cup final match, the Chinese team lost to the U.S. by a single penalty kick. After that loss, the Chinese team was nicknamed “Steel Roses” by their fans. [13]
 Chinese Taipei 中华队 Team China Mainland China and Taiwan both claim sovereignty of the island nation and due to complicated political, maneuvering, and to appease China, the island's sporting teams and took the moniker Chinese Taipei. Chinese Athletes from the Island call themselves Team China. [14]
 Guam Matao Matao is the definition of highest level or "noble" class. [15]
 Hong Kong (勁揪) The Strength A popular slang in Hong Kong which translated means is "strong, powerful, sturdy" [16]
Hong Kong Team
 India Blue Tigers In India, the color blue is associated with Lord Krishna, one of the most favored Gods in India and the Royal Bengal tiger is the symbol of strength, agility, and grace, a combination that is unmatched by any other animal. [17]
 Indonesia Merah Putih The Reds and Whites The Indonesian flag is a horizontal bicolor with two equal horizontal bars of red and white. In Indonesian, this flag is called "Sang Saka Merah Putih" (meaning "lofty bicolor red and white"). [18]
Garuda The Garuda is a mythical animal. [19]
 Iran تیم ملی

Team Melli

 The National Team Literally means "The national team" in the Persian language. [20]
 Iraq اسود الرافدين Lions of Mesopotamia Found in the Ancient Arabian Peninsula, the Asiatic lion otherwise known as the Lion of Mesopotamia has great significance in Arab and Islamic culture. [21]
Usood Al-Rafidain
 Japan サムライ・ブルー Samurai Blue The Samurai were the military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan. The football team's colors are predominantly blue. [22][23]
 Japan (Women's) なでしこジャパン Nadeshiko Japan Floral metaphor meaning "personification of an idealized Japanese woman". [24]
 Jordan النشامى The Brave Gentlemen Commonly they are known as Al-Nashama, which translates as The Brave Gentlemen in English. [25]
The An-Nashama
 Kuwait الأزرق The Blues Named after the town of Azraq, best known for the Qasr al-Azraq, a large fortress located in present-day eastern Jordan. This imposing fort is was instrumental during the Arab Revolt against the Turks [26]
Al-Azraq
 Kyrgyzstan Ак шумкарлар White Falcons Falconry is an ancient trademark of the Kyrgyz nomads that roamed the steppes of Central Asia. [27]
 Laos ທິມຊາດ The National Team Thimsad simply means the national team [28]
Thimsad
 Lebanon رجال الأرز The Cedars The Cedar is the national symbol of Lebanon. [29][30]
 Lebanon (Women's) صبايا الأرز The Lady Cedars [31][32]
 Macau A Equipa Verde The Green Team The Regional flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is light green with a lotus flower above the stylized Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge and water in white. [33]
 Malaysia Harimau Malaya Malayan tigers The Malayan tiger is a tiger population in Peninsular Malaysia. [34]
 Maldives Red Snappers Also known as Humpback red snappers, they are one of the most commonly caught fish species of the Maldives. [35]
 Mongolia Xөx чононууд Blue Wolves The Mongolian Wolf is a subspecies of the grey wolf which is native to Mongolia. Mongolia's Pristine beauty is also known as the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky. [36]
 Myanmar The Asian Lions Asian lion appears on the logo of Myanmar National Football Team [37]
   Nepal The Gorkhali Nepalese National Soldiers. [38]
 North Korea 천리마 The Chollima Chollima is a mythical horse. [39]
 Oman الأحمر The Reds Referring to the "golden age" of Omani football in the 2010s. [40]
سامبا الخليج Gulf Samba [41]
 Pakistan The Green and White Team The Pakistani flag is a green field with a white crescent moon and five-rayed star at its center, and a vertical white stripe at the hoist side. [42]
 Palestine الفدائيون The Fedayeen Palestinian freedom fighters. [43]
 Philippines Azkals Street Dogs Stylized form of "askal", a Tagalog slang for indigenous/mongrel dogs, which are often street dogs. The nickname adopted in the 2010s references tenacity and resilience and is also a reference to the mixed heritage of most players of the team. [44][45]
 Philippines (Women's) Malditas Feisty Ladies Maldita means "naughty" or "spoilt" in Filipino slang [46][47]
 Qatar العنابي The Maroons From the national flag of Qatar which is maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side. [48]
 Saudi Arabia الأخضر The Greens From the Saudi flag, which is a green flag featuring in white an Arabic inscription and a sword.

Falconry, an art rooted in Saudi traditions Deeply rooted in Bedouin culture in the Middle East, falcons have always been a strong ally of the Arabian desert tribes.

 [49]
الصقور الخضر The Green Falcons [50]
 Singapore The Lions The Lion dates back to its founder Prince Sang Nila Utama who saw a Lion at the island of Temasek which present-day Singapore. He renamed the city “Singapura” – derived from the Malay words “Singa” for Lion and “Pura” for the city. [51]
 South Korea 붉은 악마 Red Devils Taegeuk is referred to the red and blue circle used in the flag of South Korea [52]
태극전사 Taegeuk Warriors [53]
아시아의 호랑이 Asian Tigers [54]
 Sri Lanka Brave Reds The traditional national team's home kit has mostly been Yellow shirts and yellow shorts and socks for the home kit and maroon shirts and maroon shorts for the away kit. The colors are derived from the 15th-century flag of Kingdom of Kandy. [55]
Golden Lions
 Syria نسور قاسيون Qasioun Eagles Mount Qasioun is a mountain overlooking the city of Damascus [56]
 Tajikistan Шерҳои Форсӣ The Persian Lions The ancient Persian symbol of the Lion comprises two images - a lion and the sun. The lion represents divinity, royalty and the mighty lineage of the kings. [57]
дастаи мунтакҳаби The National Team [58]
 Thailand ช้างศึก War Elephants The elephant is an important figure of Thai culture. [59]
 Thailand (Women's) ชบาแก้ว Chaba Kaew A pink elephant in the Thai animated film Khan Kluay. [60]
 Timor-Leste O Sol Nascente The Rising Sun Timor Leste is known as the land of the rising sun. [61]
The Little Samba Nation East Timor was dubbed the "Little Samba Nation" for its use of naturalized Brazilians on its national team. [62]
El Lafaek The Crocodiles Crocodiles are revered in East Timor, where local residents refer to the animals as “grandfathers” and crocodiles are honored with shrines around the country. [63]
 Turkmenistan Aхал-теке Dark Horses The Akhal-Teke is the national emblem of Turkmenistan. [64]
 United Arab Emirates عيال زايد Zayed's sons Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the founding father of the United Arab Emirates. [65]
الصقور The Eagles The Arab Eagle is displayed on the emblem of the UAE. [66]
 Uzbekistan Oq bo'rilar White Wolves The grey wolf is a native of Uzbekistan it is a revered animal. [67]
 Vietnam Rồng Vàng The Golden Dragons Gold dragons were the strongest and most majestic of the metallic dragons and were considered the apex of the draconic race. [68]
 Vietnam (Women's) Những Cô Gái Vàng The Golden Girls [69]
 Yemen اليمن السعيد The Happy Yemen In ancient times Yemen was known as Arabia Felix, Latin for "happy" or "fortunate" Arabia. [70]

See also

References
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