Passion, pride, emotion and unity: Those are the feelings that the Nicaraguan Football Federation (FENIFUT) are hoping to inspire with a new crest for its national team.
FENIFUT unveiled the new crest on the national team’s Twitter account on Friday, March 11. It consists of a navy blue shield outlined in royal blue and containing an N, an I, and the three stripes of the Nicaraguan flag. The country’s name is spelled out overtop of the shield.
The I is included because Nicaragua’s standard two-letter code is NI. The team’s nickname is La Azul y Blanco (the Blue and White).
Previously, the national team played with the FENIFUT logo on their jerseys.
Nicaragua competed in Group E of the first round of Concacaf qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They finished second in the group, losing to eventual group winners Haiti, but notching wins over Turks and Caicos Islands and Belize. Unfortunately, only the top team from each group moved on to the second round.
The new crest will debut in friendlies between Nicaragua and Liga MX clubs Puebla on March 24 and Atlético San Luis on March 27.
Feature photo courtesy @LaAzulyBlancoNI / Twitter