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We met with the Japanese team the day before their match at “Jerry World”, also known as Dallas Stadium, for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
We had been walking through 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 the tournament action live on a giant outdoor screen. (Bryan Preston/Pak Gazette Digital)
When we found out that the Japan team was staying at the W Hotel, just a few blocks away, we decided to brave the 90 degree Texas heat and walk around to see what was going on. Our timing couldn’t have been better.
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When we reached the corner of Nowitzki Way and Houston Street, named after an NBA legend and a hero of the Texas Revolution, police were blocking traffic at the light Saturday afternoon.
A police officer on a motorcycle turned on his lights and sounded his siren, and then we saw it: a huge bus dressed in blue, sporting the unmistakable red disk of the Land of the Rising Sun.
The bus stopped at the W and we headed towards the barrier. A dozen Japanese fans waved and jumped as if a J-Pop band had just arrived, shouting the players’ names as they got off the bus.
They had just returned from their home training base at SMU, but the energy was already electric.
The Japanese 2026 FIFA World Cup team bus arrives under police supervision in a host city ahead of tournament activities. (Bryan Preston/Pak Gazette Digital)
As social media has shown since the tournament began, Japan is absolutely crazy about soccer. Case in point:
What caused those deafening chants long before kickoff?
Just 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 during a FIFA World Cup pre-match ceremony when giant national flags are displayed across the field before kick-off. (Bryan Preston/Pak Gazette Digital)
It’s hard not to root for Japan these days. As the country enjoys an unprecedented wave of global popularity thanks to tourism, food and pop culture, its football fans have risen to the top of the world stage.
They’re passionate, incredibly friendly, and notoriously respectful—embracing American culture while meticulously cleaning the rows of their stadiums, whether they win, lose, or draw.
Thanks to my family connections, I was able to get into the thick of things. Nothing against the Dutch, but unless the United States is on the field, I’m a Lone Star Samurai Blue.
Japan fans pose for a photo outside a FIFA World Cup venue, showing their team spirit with face paint, headbands and national team jerseys. (Bryan Preston/Pak Gazette Digital)
My brother-in-law and nephew traveled from Tokyo to my home state to watch the game with my son and me. It was his third World Cup, but his first.
To give you the full Texas experience, we checked off all the staples: home and restaurant barbecue, Tex-Mex, Buc-ee’s, and a trip to the gun range. They loved every minute.
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We had bought our tickets the day they went on sale, occupying seats near the roof of the stadium. But it didn’t matter: there isn’t a bad seat in the house.
We were surrounded by faithful, with the “ultras” just to our left. No matter what happens on the field, they never stopped chanting “Nippon! Nippon!”
The atmosphere surpassed any sporting event I have ever attended in person.
Almost everyone was wearing the team’s colors: Dutch fans were mostly stoic; The Japanese fans were loud, lively and kept the stadium moving.
Japan’s ultra fans applaud from the stands during a FIFA World Cup match, creating a vibrant atmosphere as they support their team. (Bryan Preston/Pak Gazette Digital)
The match began with a very American countdown, in the style of a rocket launch.
The first half, however, was anything but explosive.
Holland dominated possession while Japan sat back and defended. “Turgid” might be one way to describe it; “cautious” and “strategic” are probably more complimentary. Both teams played exactly the same style.
The second half was a completely different story, full of action on both sides of the field. The Netherlands scored first when legendary defender Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring with one of his trademark headers.
Instead of remaining silent, the Japanese fans simply became louder and jumped harder. The players fed off that energy. Just seven minutes later, Japan counterattacked through Keito Nakamura.
The tie elicited roar after roar from the crowd.
In the chaos, I high-fived my family, the family in front of me, the Japanese family to my left, and accidentally high-fived the family behind me who were wearing Holland t-shirts.
Luckily, they didn’t seem to mind.
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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 quickened the pace, moving further and further up the field.
Their reward came in the 89th minute. Japan took a corner and converted it into a brilliant goal against the heads of Koki Ogawa and Daichi Kamada.
A thrilling 2-2 draw was a very respectable way to start the tournament.
While casual observers don’t typically lump Japan among soccer’s elite, they’re no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention.
Japan’s women’s team is already a world power with a World Cup trophy to its name, and the men’s team has pulled off some major giant-killings recently, beating Brazil and top-five-ranked England in the run-up to 2026.
(Not to mention their surprising victory over Spain in the 2022 World Cup, which eliminated four-time champions Germany from the tournament.)
Fans representing Japan and the Netherlands watch a FIFA World Cup match from a stadium suite as fans fill the stands below. (Bryan Preston/Pak Gazette Digital)
And although the national J-League is more than 30 years old and thriving, the national team has quietly become a European power.
The vast majority of their squad plays for top-level European clubs: defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was a fan favorite of English giants Arsenal before moving to Ajax; Master Takefusa Kubo is in the Royal Society; goalkeeper Zion Suzuki is at Parma; Hiroki Ito is at Bayern Munich; and Kamada is in Crystal Palace.
That’s a huge amount of elite European experience, and it’s not even all the talent on Japan’s national team.
They are incredibly good. They play as a compact team, with technical intelligence and a nasty counterattack that can swamp the opposing half in an instant.
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Will they win it all? Probably not this time. But before they finish, they will make many giants nervous. 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!
