Five Arab teams will participate in AFCON 2019, and three teams will make their debut: Madagascar, Mauritania, and Burundi. African football teams have always had unusual nicknames, and this has become a tradition in the continent. Italian Rafael Pauli, researcher at the International Sports Center in Switzerland, said that the nicknames of teams are an expression of national unity and are another way of bringing people together. Algeria "Desert Fighters"The Algerian national team has several nicknames: Desert Foxes, Desert Fighters, and The Greens. Angola 'sable antelopes'Angola's national team was nicknamed 'sable antelopes' as they are the prevalent animals in the tropical jungles across Angola.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 06, 2019 20:48 UTC