Raise Your 'Hashflags': Twitter Reintroduces World Cup Hashtags
The hashflag has returned in all its emoji glory.
An instant hit during the 2010 World Cup, Twitter announced on Tuesday the return of national hashflags, which will surely add a little national pride and color to tweets throughout the 2014 tournament.
A "hashflag" is exactly what it sounds like: a hashtag flag.
Throughout the World Cup, when fans tweet a "#" followed by their country's three-letter abbreviation, a flag will appear in the tweet. For instance, if you're rooting for Brazil, you would tweet "#BRA" prompting the Brazilian flag to show up.
Shakira, who has lent her voice to both the 2006 and 2010 official World Cup songs, was one of the first to tweet the return of the hashflag:
What's more, fans can keep up with all the World Cup action by using and browsing the #WorldCup and #WorldCup2014 hashtags. Clicking these hashtags brings users to a page that includes a World Cup timeline and a match timeline; it aggregates score updates, match highlights, player and coach tweets, and more, for fans who can't watch every game.
Check out some of the best uses of hashflags so far, below. (Note: hashflags will not appear in tweets embedded on external sites.)
The Wonderful World Cup Team Nicknames
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Algeria, "Les Fennecs"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Argentina, "La Albiceleste"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Australia, "The Socceroos"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Belgium, "The Red Devils"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Bosnia and Herzegovina, "Zmajevi"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Brazil, "Seleção"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Cameroon, "The Indomitable Lions"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Chile, "La Roja"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Colombia, "Los Cafeteros"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Costa Rica, "Los Ticos"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Croatia, "Vatreni"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Ecuador, "La Tricolor"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
England, "The Three Lions"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
France, "Les Bleus"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Germany, "Die Mannschaft"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Ghana, "The Black Stars"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Greece, "Ethniki"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Honduras, "Los Catrachos"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Iran, "Team Melli"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Italy, "Azzurri"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Ivory Coast, "Les Elephants"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Japan, "Samurai Blue"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Mexico, "El Tri"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Netherlands, "Oranje"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Nigeria, "The Super Eagles"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Portugal, "Seleção das Quinas"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Russia, "Sbornaya"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
South Korea, "Taegeuk Warriors"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Spain, "La Furia Roja"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Switzerland, "La Nati"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
Uruguay, "La Celeste"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira -
U.S.A., "The Yanks"
Image: ESPN/Cristiano Siqueira