England's Lionesses aren't the only football team named after an animal

The Lionesses are the pride of England, but many other women's international football teams are also named after animals...

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Paul McGuinness

Published: August 17, 2023 at 7:54 pm

With England's Lionesses hoping to take home the top prize at the World Cup final this Sunday, we took a look around the world to see which other women's teams are nicknamed after animals.

Head coach Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses may be purring in the World Cup, but they aren't even the only lionesses in the women's game: Singapore's women's team are also the Lionesses; Cameroon's women are known as the Indomitable Lionesses; Macedonia's team are the Red Lions; Tajikistan has the Red Lion; Morocco's team are the Atlas Lions, while the Dutch team is nicknamed the Oranje Leeuwinnen, or Orange Lionesses.

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Which women's football teams are nicknamed after animals?

Botswana – The Zebras

Brazil – As Canarinhas, or the Female Canaries

Brazil women's football team — It's easy to see how Brazil's team earned the nickname 'the Female Canaries'. © JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images

Burundi – Swallows

Cameroon – the Indomitable Lionesses

England – The Lionesses

Three Lions football badge — The England team's nickname comes from the famous Three Lions on their badge. © Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) – Super Falcons

Finland – Helmarit, or the Pearl Owls

HELSINKI, FINLAND - JUNE 23: (L-R) Olga Ahtinen, Nora Heroum, Tuija Hyyrynen and Amanda Rantanen of Finland pose for a portrait during the official UEFA Women's EURO 2022 portrait session on June 23, 2022 in Helsinki, Finland. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images) — Scandinavian teams like the Finnish side were for many years the pioneers of the women's game. ©Catherine Ivill - UEFA/Getty

Guyana– Lady Jaguars

Japan – Nadeshiko, or the Dianthus superbus flower

Fringed Pink (Dianthus superbus) — The Japanese side are the only team we've come across to be named after a plant, the fringed pink (Dianthus superbus). © Federica Grassi/Getty

Lebanon – The Cedars

Macedonia – The Red Lions

Morocco – Atlas Lions

Netherlands – Oranje Leeuwinnen, or Orange Lionesses

Dutch women's football team — The Dutch women's side wear orange and have a lion on their badge – hence the Orange Lionesses. © ANP/Getty

New Zealand – Football Ferns

Nigeria – Super Falcons

Norway – Gresshoppene, or The Grasshoppers

Upright close-up shot of a common green grasshopper on a blade of grass — As well as being the name of a football club from Zürich, the Grasshoppers is the nickname of the Norwegian side. © Getty

Rwanda – She-Amavubi, or The She-Wasps

Serbia – Beli Orlovi, or The White Eagles

Singapore – The Lionesses

Tajikistan – The Persian Lion

Thailand – Changsuk, or The War Elephants

Uganda – Crested Cranes

A Grey or African crowned crane — The crane is the nickname of the Ugandan women's team, and appears on the country's flag. © guenterguni/Getty

Paul McGuinness

Editor of BBC Wildlife and discoverwildlife.com

Paul is the editor of BBC Wildlife and discoverwildlife.com. A highly experienced magazine journalist with over 25 years in publishing, Paul has also been editor at BBC History Revealed and BBC Knowledge. He has worked across many other BBC magazine brands, such as Countryfile, Sky At Night, BBC Music and BBC Science Focus, and written for a wide variety of other publications. His passion for wildlife has taken him from the Arctic to the Amazon, but he is most at home exploring Britain's beaches with his family, gazing into rock pools with the same hopeful excitement as when he was still a boy himself.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - JULY 26: England players pose for a team photograph during the UEFA Women's Euro England 2022 Semi Final match between England and Sweden/Belgium at Bramall Lane on July 26, 2022 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

Gary Brookshaw / Getty Images