If you want to play in the World Cup, here’s a tip – it helps to play in red, or white, or red and white. And it’s also preferable to have an eagle on your chest.

A quick scan of the nicknames for teams at the 2018 World Cup reveals no less than ten with red and/or white included and eagles – lots and lots of eagles.

There’s Super Eagles, Eagles of Carthage, Golden Eagles and just plain Eagles. Indeed four nations at this World Cup, including the hosts, have an eagle in their moniker and even Egypt, who are known as the Pharaohs, have an eagle on their flag.

Falcons rate a mention as do Lions – twice – and even kangaroos. Or Socceroos to be exact.

Sky blue is also popular (two teams), as is just blue (three) and green and yellow (both two as well).

There is the curious (The Canal Men), to the bizarre (Red Devils) to the cute (Little Canary) to the endearing (Our Boys) – and if Danish Dynamite (Denmark) meet The Blazers (Croatia) you can be sure we are in for fireworks.

There is even four teams who just couldn’t come up with a name so settled on the very dull National Team.

Here below are the nicknames of all 32 World Cup teams. How many do you know?

Argentina La Albiceleste (The White and SkyBlues)

Australia The Socceroos

Belgium The Red Devils

Brazil Seleção (The Squad), Canarinho (Little Canary), Verde Amarela (The Green and Yellow)

Colombia La Tricolor (The Tricolors), Los Cafeteros (The Coffee Growers),

Costa Rica Los Ticos (The Ticos)

Croatia Vatreni (The Blazers)

Denmark Danish Dynamite

Egypt The Pharaohs

England Three Lions

France Les Bleus

Germany Die Mannschaft, DFBElf (DFB Eleven), Nationalelf (national eleven)

Iceland  Strákarnir okkar (Our Boys)

Iran Team Melli (National Team)

Japan Blue Samurai

Mexico El Tri (The Tri), El Tricolor (The Tricolor)

Morocco Atlas Lions

Nigeria Super Eagles

Panama  La Marea Roja (The Red Tide), Los Canaleros (The Canal Men),

Peru  La Blanquirroja (The White and Red), Los Incas (The Incas)

Poland Białoczerwoni (The White and Reds), Orły (The Eagles)

Portugal A Seleção das Quinas (Selection of the Quinas); The Navigators

Russia The Golden Eagles, The National Team

Saudi Arabia aṣṢuqūr al‘Akhḍar (The Green Falcons), al‘Akhḍar (The Green)

Senegal  Les Lions de la Téranga (The Lions of Teranga)

Serbia The White Eagles

Spain La Furia Roja (The Red Fury), La Furia (The Fury), La Roja (The Red)

Sweden Blågult (The Blue Yellow)

South Korea Taegeuk Jeonsa (Taegeuk Warriors)

Switzerland A Team, Nati (National Team), Rossocrociati (Red Crosses)

Tunisia Eagles of Carthage

Uruguay La Celeste (The Sky Blue), Los Charrúas