African football nicknames are a wonderful menagerie, with national sides over the years adopting monikers which reflect countries’ identities, and imbue international fixtures – not least at the Africa Cup of Nations – with evocative imagery and unspoken narratives.

With the AFCON in full swing, here’s ESPN’s guide to the team nicknames on show at the tournament, and some of the patterns and themes to be found among the continent’s subplots of sobriquets.

Animals? In Africa? Groundbreaking…

Of the 24 AFCON qualifiers, 17 carry nicknames related to the animal kingdom with, unsurprisingly, critters at the top of the food chain being particularly popular.

Nigeria are one of three sides nicknamed the ‘eagles’ at the Nations Cup, but the West African giants aren’t just any old eagles. They’re SUPER Eagles.

Initially, however, Nigeria didn’t quite land on the correct moniker, being called the Red Devils and the Green Eagles during the early days of the national team’s inception, before settling on the far more awe-inspiring Super Eagles after the 1988 Nations Cup.

Mali are also the Eagles, while Tunisia are one of several nations who couple an animal kingdom reference with a geographic location, calling themselves the Carthage Eagles. This name also harks back to the classical identity of the modern day Tunisia, a reflection of a recurrent trend among nations to attempt to recapture an historic identity as they remodel themselves in a modern world.

It’s a similar story for Egypt – nicknamed the Pharaohs – who, like Tunisia, acknowledge that their history provides a strong basis for re-forging a modern national identity. The North Africans’ nickname ties into the branding of Egypt on a global scale, with the influence of ‘Ancient Egypt’ still the country’s defining feature.

Egypt’s Pharaonic period is undoubtedly the country’s golden age, serving as a source of collective pride and confidence, and inspiring modern Egyptians to step up to a lofty standard. Perhaps it’s no surprise that they’re record seven-time African champions!

Many of these animal nicknames also have their own distinctive spin or touch of personality. Morocco aren’t just any lions, but rather the Atlas Lions, with a reference to the extinct species of feline that previously roamed North Africa, while their regional rivals Algeria are Les Fennecs – the Desert Foxes.

Guinea’s Syli Nationale translates as the National Elephant in the Susu language of the country’s coastal region, with fellow West Africans Senegal also incorporating a local language in their nickname. ‘Teranga’, in Wolof, is a word to mean hospitality and warmth… making the Teranga Lions a somewhat confusing combination.

Angola’s Palancas Negras translates as Sable antelopes – a species indigenous to the country – and Mozambique (Os Mambas) and Cape Verde (Sharks) also follow suit.

For Burkina Faso, the choice of a Stallion as their national nickname is a reference to the story of Princess Yennenga – considered the mother of the country’s Mossi ethnic group – and the white stallion she rode to escape from captivity.

The Democratic Republic of Congo – formerly Zaire – enjoy a long association with the leopard. In the Tetela ethnic group, to which the country’s first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba belonged, one initiation rite concludes with one donning the skin of a leopard to signify the transition to becoming a warrior – the ‘Leopard Warrior’.

During colonialism, the Teleta antagonised the Belgian colonial forces, forging an association between the imagery of a leopard and defiance in defence of one’s own homeland. Following Independence, with Lumumba the figurehead for the new nation, the Congolese were encouraged to embody the leopard’s qualities.

Lumumba’s eventual successor Joseph Mobutu rebranded the country as ‘Zaire’ and pursued ‘Authenticité’ and Africanisation policies during the early 70s, attempting to redefine the new state as clearly distinct to the territory governed by Belgium.

Recognising the value of football as a vehicle to develop Zairian identity, the symbol of the leopard was used heavily across the nation, from the president’s own personal branding – including his infamous leopard-print hat — to the national side’s nickname.

Formerly the Lions, by the 1974 World Cup – when Zaire became the first sub-Saharan African side to contest the tournament – they were rechristened the Leopards. There was little subtly about their iconic kits, with a life-sized leopard face on the chest, the word ‘Leopards’ above, and ‘Zaire’ below.

As iconic as the Leopard of the DRC is the ‘Indomitable’ Lion of Cameroon. Originally just the Lions, the ‘Indomitable’ signifier was added in 1972 – at the behest of Cameroon President Ahmadou Ahidjo – following the national team’s elimination from the ’72 Nations Cup on home soil.

It took 12 more years for the newly names Lions to win their first AFCON, but the country’s performances at the ’88 tournament, and in becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup quarterfinals in 1990, added weight to the sense that this was a side with deeper reservoirs of desire and determination.

While it’s understandable for Africa’s sporting, political, economic, geographic powerhouses to opt for the kings of the jungle in choosing their nicknames, the continental minnows have had to take a different approach.

The likes of The Gambia, for example, who did qualify, or even tiny Rwanda, Mauritius or Benin, who haven’t made it, would look a bit incongruous trying to pass themselves off as ‘lions’ or ‘eagles’.

Instead, these nations have embraced their ‘underdog’ status with nicknames that illustrate a deeper aspect of each national identity and each country’s political and sociological standing within the continent.

The Gambia are the Scorpions – they may be small but there’s a sting in the tail, capable of downing any bigger creature – which is a nice fit for a country that has only the 49th biggest landmass in Africa, while Rwanda’s Wasps follow a similar rationale.

Guinea-Bissau, with an area of just 36,000 km squared, are the Djurtus, the Wild Dogs, acknowledging the greater strength that can be found in togetherness, reflecting the dogs’ cooperative hunting and tight social communities.

These nations recognise their smaller stature or limited resources, but still possess a coherency in identity that can make them greater than the sum of their parts.

But the biggest animal on African soil is saved for the hosts Ivory Coast. With the country still bearing the name it took during the colonial period, it’s one of the most resonant nicknames on the continent, and perhaps not surprising that the Ivory Coast – which has historically retained a close link to its ‘colonial masters’ France – retains an identity that leans heavily on its colonial ‘past life’.

While the actual elephant population in the country is in catastrophic decline, the national side remain one of the biggest points of unifying potential in a country that has struggled with ethnic and religious conflict.

Out of left field

Unlike many of their African counterparts, southern African duo South Africa and Namibia – who met in Sunday’s COSAFA derby – have taken a different approach to nicknaming.

South Africa retain the name ‘Bafana Bafana’ – a Zulu phrase that translates roughly as ‘the boys’ – which was adopted soon after the country’s post-apartheid return to international football in 1992. The country’s FA have mulled changing it – they didn’t register the nickname, so lose out on hefty marketing revenue – but for now, it remains.

Namibia are known as the (somewhat tautological) Brave Warriors, and while inspiring, it hasn’t yet helped them to a first ever AFCON win.

Honourable mention too for Equatorial Guinea’s Nzalang Nacional – the National Thunder in a Fang – a nickname which directly inspired their recently launched lightning strike kits.

Names with political origins

Zambia, winners in 2012, are called Chipolopolo, which translates as the Copper Bullets in Bemba language – referencing the copper that is found in abundance in Zambia and is one of the country’s primary exports.

The national side were previously known as KK Eleven – a tribute to the country’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda – but the nickname was changed to Chipolopolo in 1993 after a song sung by the leader’s United National Independence Party.

Unlike the Ivory Coast, who have remained close to France following Independence, Ghana’s post-colonial identity has actively sought to separate and differentiate the country from its previous incarnation as ‘The Gold Coast’.

First president Kwame Nkrumah was a father of Pan-Africanism. Aware of Ghana’s status as the first sub-Saharan nation to achieve independence, he opted to ‘brand’ the nation along Pan-African lines.

Thus, The Gold Coast became Ghana, with Nkrumah – well aware of football’s power to transcend barriers among disparate people – using the sport to build Ghanaian pride, Pan-African sentiment and unity.

The ‘Black Stars’ nickname is inspired by Marcus Garvey’s 1920 Black Star Line shipping company – a counterpoint to the famous White Star Line – which had the aim of facilitating the return of Black Americans to Africa. Its five-pointed black star logo became a symbol of African emancipation.

The star was adopted on the flag of Ghana and on the Black Star Gate in Independence Square in Accra – commissioned by Nkrumah – and was a natural choice for the national side.

Stars are common symbolism across African teams – utilised by six teams across the continent – acknowledging their importance in navigation and their resonance for African populations.

It’s no coincidence that all six countries with ‘stars’ in their nickname have an important relationship with the ocean, with Somalia (the Ocean Stars), for example having the largest coastline of any country on the African mainland.

It’s a similar story for Tanzania, who have two nicknames: the Taifa (Nation, in Swahili) Stars and the Kilimanjaro Stars.