Think you know your English football inside out? A new quiz from BBC Sport is putting supporters to the test — and only the most dedicated will walk away with a perfect score.

The challenge is straightforward enough on paper: name the nickname for every club competing in the English football pyramid. Red Devils, Saints, Magpies, Robins — some will come to you in seconds. Others, particularly from the lower reaches of the EFL, might leave you staring at the screen and questioning everything you thought you knew about the game.

Why Nicknames Matter in English Football

Nicknames are woven into the fabric of English football culture. They show up on terrace chants, in match-day programmes, and in the shorthand supporters use every single day. Ask any fan in the country to rattle off a dozen and they will manage it without breaking a sweat. Ask them to cover all 92 professional clubs, though, and the picture changes fast.

Some nicknames are obvious — tied directly to the club's colours or a famous local landmark. Others have origins buried deep in local history, carrying references to industries, animals, or long-forgotten local figures that even lifelong supporters of those clubs sometimes struggle to explain. That is what makes a quiz like this both entertaining and genuinely tricky.

The Premier League clubs are the easy warm-up. Once you drop into the Championship, League One, and League Two, the Robins start to multiply — there are several clubs across the divisions sharing that particular moniker — and keeping track of which Robin belongs where becomes a challenge of its own.

Who Is This Really For?

The quiz is designed with a broad audience in mind, but the BBC has made clear it is pitched at those who consider themselves serious football fans. Casual supporters might breeze through the top flight and then hit a wall somewhere around the third tier. True football obsessives — the sort who check results across all four divisions on a Saturday afternoon — will fancy their chances of going the distance.

It is exactly the kind of thing that sorts out a pub disagreement in about four minutes flat. Who are Exeter City? The Grecians. Morecambe? The Shrimps. Bradford City? The Bantams. Get one wrong and you will hear about it from anyone watching over your shoulder.

A Summer Tradition

The quiz lands during the pre-season window, when competitive football is thin on the ground and supporters are hungry for something to fill the gap. BBC Sport has been running a steady stream of football quizzes across the summer — covering everything from Premier League appearances to WSL history — and this nicknames edition sits among the more ambitious offerings, given the sheer volume of clubs involved.

It is free to take part on the BBC Sport website. The platform also keeps a running page of football quizzes and sports quizzes more broadly, with notifications available so fans do not miss new additions as they drop.

So, how many do you actually know? It is easy to assume you have got this one covered — until the lower leagues start to bite.

FAQs

Frequently asked

How many English football clubs are there to name in the quiz?
The quiz covers clubs from across the English football pyramid, including all 92 professional clubs from the Premier League down through the EFL's three divisions.
Which English football clubs share the same nickname?
Several clubs share popular nicknames — 'The Robins' is used by multiple clubs across the EFL, including Bristol City, Swindon Town, and Cheltenham Town, among others.
Where can I find the BBC football nicknames quiz?
The quiz is available on the BBC Sport website. You can also visit their dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages to find other challenges and sign up for notifications.