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We caught up with the Japanese national team the day before they played at “Jerry World” – aka Dallas Stadium – for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
We were walking around downtown Dallas after a wonderfully hearty Tex-Mex lunch, taking in the sights of a city completely gripped by World Cup fever.
Soccer fans gather at a FIFA World Cup fan zone in a downtown Dallas park to watch tournament action live on a giant outdoor screen. (Bryan Preston/PK Press Club Digital)
When we found out that the Japanese team was staying at the W Hotel a few blocks away, we decided to brave the 90 degree Texas heat and head there just to see what was going on. Our timing couldn’t have been better.
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As we arrived at the corner of Nowitzki Way and Houston Street – aptly named for an NBA legend and a hero of the Texas Revolution – police were blocking light Saturday afternoon traffic.
A policeman on a motorcycle turned on his headlights and sounded his siren, and then we saw it: a huge bus decked out in blue, displaying the inimitable red disk of the Land of the Rising Sun.
The bus stopped at the W and we walked towards the barrier. A dozen Japanese fans waved and jumped as if a J-Pop band had just arrived, shouting players’ names as they got off the bus.
They had just returned from their local training base at SMU, but the energy was already electric.
Japan’s 2026 FIFA World Cup team bus arrives under police guard at a host city ahead of tournament activities. (Bryan Preston/PK Press Club Digital)
As social media has proven since the tournament kicked off, Japan is absolutely football crazy. Concrete example:
What sparked these deafening chants well before kickoff?
Simply a live broadcast of the team getting off the bus at the stadium. No warming up, no kicking a ball, just walking to the locker room.
Japan and the Netherlands are honored in a FIFA World Cup pre-match ceremony, as giant national flags are unfurled on the pitch before kick-off. (Bryan Preston/PK Press Club Digital)
It’s hard not to root for Japan these days. As the country enjoys an unprecedented wave of global popularity thanks to tourism, gastronomy and pop culture, its football fans have risen to the top of the world stage.
They are passionate, incredibly friendly and notoriously respectful – embracing American culture while meticulously cleaning their stadium rows, whether they win, lose or tie.
Thanks to my family connections, I was able to be in the thick of things. Nothing against the Dutch, but unless the USA is on the field, I’m a Lone Star Samurai Blue.
Japanese fans pose for a photo in front of a FIFA World Cup venue, showing their team spirit with face paint, headbands and national team jerseys. (Bryan Preston/PK Press Club Digital)
My brother-in-law and nephew traveled from Tokyo to my home country to watch the game with my son and me. It was their third World Cup, but my very first.
To give them the full Texan experience, we checked off all the must-haves: homemade and restaurant barbecues, Tex-Mex, Buc-ee’s and a visit to the shooting range. They loved every minute of it.
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We bought our tickets the day they went on sale, landing near the roof of the stadium. But that didn’t matter: there’s no bad place in the house.
We were surrounded by the faithful, with the “ultras” just to our left. No matter what was happening on the field, they never stopped chanting “Nippon!” Nippon! »
The atmosphere surpassed any sporting event I have ever attended in person.
Almost everyone wore the team colors: the Dutch fans were mostly stoic; the Japanese fans were loud, lively and made the stadium vibrate.
Japanese ultra fans cheer from the stands during a FIFA World Cup match, creating a vibrant atmosphere as they rally behind their team. (Bryan Preston/PK Press Club Digital)
The match opened with a very American countdown, rocket style.
But the first half was anything but explosive.
The Netherlands dominated possession while Japan sat back and defended. “Turgid” might be one way to describe it; “wary” and “strategic” are probably more complimentary. Both teams played exactly to tap.
The second half was a completely different story, full of action on both ends of the pitch. The Netherlands struck first when legendary defender Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring with one of his trademark headers.
Instead of being quiet, the Japanese fans became louder and jumped harder. The players fed off this energy. Seven minutes later, Japan responded through Keito Nakamura.
The equalizer brought roar after roar from the crowd.
In the chaos, I greeted my family, the family in front of me, the Japanese family to my left, and I accidentally congratulated the family behind me who were wearing Dutch jerseys.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to bother them.
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The Dutch regained the lead in the 64th minute through West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville, and once again the Japanese fans responded by increasing the noise. The players picked up the pace, pushing higher and harder on the pitch.
Their reward came in the 89th minute. Japan were awarded a corner and converted it into a brilliant goal over the headers of Koki Ogawa and Daichi Kamada.
A thrilling 2-2 draw was a completely respectable way to start the tournament.
Although casual observers do not traditionally group Japan with soccer’s elite, they come as no surprise to those who have been paying attention.
Japan’s women’s team is already a global powerhouse with a World Cup trophy under its belt, and the men’s team has had some serious giant-killings recently, beating Brazil and top-five England as 2026 approaches.
(Not to mention their stunning victory over Spain in the 2022 World Cup, which knocked out four-time tournament champions Germany).
Fans representing Japan and the Netherlands watch a FIFA World Cup match from a stadium box while fans fill the stands below. (Bryan Preston/PK Press Club Digital)
And while the domestic J-League is over 30 years old and thriving, the national team has quietly become a European powerhouse.
The vast majority of his squad play for top European clubs: defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was a fan favorite at English giant Arsenal before joining Ajax; maestro Takefusa Kubo is at Real Sociedad; goalkeeper Zion Suzuki is with Parma; Hiroki Ito is at Bayern Munich; and Kamada is at Crystal Palace.
That’s a huge amount of European elite experience, and it doesn’t even represent all the talent on the Japanese national team.
They are incredibly good. They play like a cohesive team, with technical intelligence and a nasty counter-attack that can flood the opponent’s half in a flash.
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Will they win it all? Probably not this time. But they’re going to make a lot of giants nervous before they’re done. Just ask the Dutch.
No matter how far they go in the tournament, one thing is already certain: Japanese fans have taken the world by storm. And they’ll probably leave the stadium cleaner than they found it.
Go Samurai Blue, y’all!
