Why are Australia called the Matildas? Fifa Women’s World Cup nicknames - from Lionesses to the Powerpuff Girls

England’s Lionesses will take on Australia in the Fifa Women’s World Cup semi-final this Wednesday following a narrow win over Colombia which saw Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo both score.

Australia, or the Matildas as they are otherwise known, are the only side to have beaten Sarina Wiegman’s squad and will look to do so once again as they play in front of what is sure to be an extremely ecclectic crowd at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

As the tournament draws to a close, we have heard commentators refer to a number of teams by their nicknames with some real surprises being thrown in. A particular favourite is England’s most recent opponents, Colombia, who were referred to as the PowerPuff Girls for no apparent explanation.

With the Lionesses preparing for their semi-final clash, here is all you need to know about why England and Australia have acquired their nicknames and what the other teams were referred to throughout the competition...

Why are England called the Lionesses?

The nickname was born out of the men’s name the Three Lions. Back in 2015, the lionesses was used as a hashtag in order to differentiate from the #threelions during the 2015 Euros tournament. Ahead of the Women’s World Cup in the same year, the FA then adopted the name as an official brand identity for the women’s team.

Where did ‘the Matildas’ come from?

The Australias nickname originally comes from the popular and iconic Australian song the Waltzing Matildas. Initially the team had been called the Female Socceroos in reference to their men’s team but before their first Women’s World Cup campaign in 1995, the Australian Women’s Soccer Association held a competition in which fans were asked to pick a new name from the following: Soccertoos, Blue Flyers, Waratehs, Matildas and Lorikeets.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, fans opted for the Matildas.

What the other nicknames?

Here are the nicknames of all teams who featured at the Fifa Women’s World Cup. While some names have emerged from unique scenarios, others have simply been born from their men team’s names:

• Argentina: La Albiceleste - the “white and sky blues”
• Brazil: Las Canarinhas - the canaries
• Canada: Nothing has stuck permanently but previous names have included the Reds, Maple Leafs, Northern Girls and Snow Birds
• Colombia: Superpoderosas or Las Cafeteras - the Powerpuff Girls or the Coffee Growers
• Costa Rica: Las Ticas
• China: Steel Roses
• Denmark: De rod-Hvide - “red and white”
• France: Les Bleues
• Germany: Die Nationalef - “national eleven”
• Haiti: Les Grenadieres
• Ireland: the Girls in Green
• Italy: La Azzurre
• Jamaica: Reggae Girlz
• Japan: Nadeshiko - Yamato Nadeshiko translates to “ideal Japanese woman”
• Morocco: Atlas Lionesses - the Atlas Lion, native to Morocco, is however believed to be extinct
• Netherlands: Oranje Leeuwinnen (Orange Lionesses)
• New Zealand: Football Ferns
• Nigeria: Super Falcons
• Panama: Las Canaleras - a reference to the Panama Canal
• Philippines: Filipinas
• Portugal: A Selecao das Quinas - a reference to the crest of the Portuguese kingdom
• Spain: La Roja - “red one”
• South Africa: Banyana Banyana - “girls girls”, the men’s team is known as Bafana Bafana, “boys boys”
• South Korea: Taeguek Nangja - Taegeuk represents the origin of everything in the universe, holding the two principles of yin and yang
• Sweden: Blue and Yellow
• Vietnam: ‘Golden Girls’ or ‘Golden State Warriors’
• Zambia: Shepolopolo or Copper Queens - a reference to Zambia’s rich copper industry