TRUE COLOURS
World Cup 2018 flags – group-by-group guide to every national team’s flag playing in Russia
Impress your friends by checking out this handy Group A to H of national banners
A CHAOS of colour is flooding Russia as fans wave, paint or wrap themselves in flags to support their home side.
But can you tell all 32 apart? Get familiar with the competing countries' stars, suns and symbols with our handy group-by-group guide.
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Group A
- Russia - the white, red and blue tricolour flag has been used since 1696. The white is believed to stand for generosity, blue for loyalty and red for courage.
- Egypt - the red, white and black flag features a gold Eagle of Saladin, representing power and strength. Red represents the struggle against the British occupation of Egypt before 1952, white symbolises the 1952 revolution which ended the monarchy without bloodshed. Black stands for the end of the oppression of the people of Egypt at the hands of the Monarchy and British colonialism. Est. 1984.
- Uruguay - Nine blue and white alternate stripes represent the nine departments within the country. Modelled on Argentina's flag colours, it also features the Sun of May, a national emblem of both countries. Est. 1830.
- Saudi Arabia - Features an Islamic creed or shahada in Arabic and sword on a green background that represents Islam. The flag was taken down from hundreds of Greene King pubs across the UK after complaints it was inappropriate to display the religious text near alcohol. Est. 1973.
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Group B
- Portugal - The green symbolises hope for the future and the red the blood of the nation, with the country's coat of arms (cinco quinas) between them. Est. 1911.
- Spain - Two bands of red sandwich the bigger yellow band inside. The coat of arms - made of six others - is topped by the royal crown of Spain. Est 1978.
- Morocco - The red background represents hardiness and bravery, while the green star is the colour of Islam; the pentagram indicates the seal of Solomon. Est 1915.
- Iran - The green represents Islam, white is for peace and red represents courage. The symbol in the middle stands for the five principles of Islam.
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Group C
- France - The blue and red are associated with the Virgin Mary, the patroness of France, while the colours might also represent the clergy, nobility and bourgeoisie. Nowadays, the tricolour is most commonly associated with the three ideals of the French Revolution - liberty, equality and fraternity. Est. 1794.
- Australia - The distinctive Australian flag features a Union Jack in one corner, with a large seven-pointed Commonwealth Star. The other stars represent the Southern Cross constellation. Est. 1901.
- Peru - The triband of red and white stripes is accompanied by the Peru coat of arms. Red represents blood spilled for the fight. Est. c. 1825.
- Denmark - Europe's oldest kingdom flag is a red background with a white cross, known as the Dannebrog or Danish Cloth. Est. 1625.
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Group D
- Argentina - The blue and white colours were chosen by Manuel Belgrano, leader of the Argentinian revolution against Spain - and represent the blue sky parting to reveal white clouds during the Liberation demonstration in 1810. Est. 1812.
- Iceland - The red symbolises the island's active volcanoes, white shows the ice and snow that covers most of the country and blue is symbolic of the surrounding Atlantic Ocean. Est 1944.
- Croatia - Red, white and blue are seen as pan-Slavic colours, widely associated with romantic nationalism. These colours are teamed with Croatia's coat of arms. Est. 1990.
- Nigeria - Green represents Nigeria's natural wealth, while white symbolises peace. It was designed by 23-year-old student Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi in 1959 and used since 1960, when the country was granted independence from the UK.
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Group E
- Brazil - Green symbolises Brazil's lush fields and forests, while the large yellow diamond represents the country's wealth in gold. A blue celestial globe floats within. Est. 1889.
- Switzerland - The white cross on a red base represents faith in Christianity. It's one of only two square sovereign-state flags (the other is the Vatican City one). Est 1889.
- Costa Rica - White stands for peace while red represents blood spilt by martyrs in defence of the country. Est. 1906.
- Serbia - The pan-slavic blue, white and red stripes are topped with the country's coat of arms, made up of a white double-headed eagle against a red shield. Est. 2006.
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Group F
- Germany - Versions of this black, red and gold flag have been used in Germany for decades, but it is only since the end of the Cold War that the flag of reunified Germany came into being. Est. 1990.
- Mexico - Green represents hope, white stands for purity and red symbolises the colour of blood for those who have died fighting for Mexico's independence. The Mexican coat of arms is based on the Aztec symbol for Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), the centre of the Aztec empire. Est. 1968.
- Sweden - The Nordic Cross represents Christianity. The colours are derived from the Swedish national arms, and the design is from the Danish flag. Blue and yellow have been used at least since King Magnus III's royal coat of arms of 1275. Est. 1906.
- South Korea - Also known as the Taegukgi ("supreme ultimate flag"), it has three parts: a white rectangular background, a red and blue Taeguk, symbolising balance and four black trigrams selected from the original eight. Est. 1883.
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Group G
- Belgium - The flag was designed to signify its new-found independence in 1831. Black, gold and red symbolise the country's coat of arms, with the black symbolising the shield, gold represents the lion and red stands for the lion's claw and tongue.
- Panama - This flag was designed by the family of then leader Manuel Amador Guerrero. The stars and quarters represent rival political parties and the white for the peace in which they operate. Est. 1925.
- Tunisia - This flag strongly resembles to Turkey's flag, and for a reason. The star and crescent indicates Tunisia's history as part of the Ottoman Empire. Est. 1831; current design 1999.
- England - The red cross on a white background is derived from St George's Cross, widely associated with England's patron saint St George, who is often depicted as a crusader. Est. 1603.
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Group H
- Poland - The flag's two colours are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colours. It is customary to this day for workers to hoist the flag when they going on strike. Est. 1919.
- Senegal - The three colours all represent different qualities. Green can symbolise both hope and fecundity; yellow represents wealth and red recalls the colour of life and sacrifice accepted by the nation. Est.1960.
- Colombia - Here yellow represents the country's riches, blue the seas on the country's shore and red the blood spilled for Colombia's independence and their struggle. Est. 1861.
- Japan - The flag represents a rising red sun. Also known as nisshoki or hinomar, the flag references the vital role in Japanese culture and mythology and its moniker as the Land of the Rising Sun. Est. 1870.
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