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We caught up with the Japanese nationalist squad the time earlier their lucifer astatine "Jerry World" — aka Dallas Stadium — for the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
We had been walking astir downtown Dallas aft a wonderfully dense Tex-Mex lunch, taking successful the sights of a metropolis wholly caught up successful World Cup fever.
Soccer fans stitchery astatine a FIFA World Cup instrumentality portion successful a downtown Dallas parkland to ticker unrecorded tourney enactment connected a elephantine outdoor screen. (Bryan Preston/Fox News Digital)
When we recovered retired Team Japan was staying astatine the W Hotel conscionable a fewer blocks away, we decided to brave the 90-degree Texas vigor and locomotion implicit conscionable to spot what was happening. Our timing couldn’t person been better.
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As we deed the country of Nowitzki Way and Houston Street — aptly named aft an NBA fable and a leader of the Texas Revolution — constabulary were blocking disconnected the airy Saturday day traffic.
A motorcycle bull flashed his lights and blared his siren, and past we saw it: a monolithic autobus decked retired successful blue, sporting the unmistakable reddish disc of the Land of the Rising Sun.
The autobus pulled up to the W, and we moved toward the barrier. A twelve oregon truthful Japanese fans were waving and bouncing similar a J-Pop set had conscionable arrived, shouting players' names arsenic they stepped disconnected the bus.
They were conscionable returning from their section grooming basal astatine SMU, but the vigor was already electric.
Japan's FIFA World Cup 2026 squad autobus arrives nether constabulary supervision successful a big metropolis up of tourney activities. (Bryan Preston/Fox News Digital)
As societal media has proven since the tourney kicked off, Japan is perfectly soccer-crazy. Case successful point:
What elicited those deafening chants agelong earlier kickoff?
Simply a unrecorded broadcast of the squad getting disconnected the autobus astatine the stadium. Not warming up, not kicking a shot —just walking to the locker room.
Japan and the Netherlands are honored during a FIFA World Cup pre-match ceremonial arsenic elephantine nationalist flags are displayed crossed the tract earlier kickoff. (Bryan Preston/Fox News Digital)
It’s hard not to basal for Japan these days. As the state enjoys an unprecedented question of planetary popularity acknowledgment to tourism, food, and popular culture, their shot fans person risen to the apical of the satellite stage.
They are passionate, incredibly friendly, and famously respectful — embracing American civilization portion meticulously cleaning up their stadium rows whether they win, lose, oregon draw.
Thanks to my household connections, I got to beryllium close successful the heavy of it. Nothing against the Dutch, but unless the USA is connected the pitch, I’m a Lone Star Samurai Blue.
Japan supporters airs for a photograph extracurricular a FIFA World Cup venue, showing their squad tone with look paint, headbands, and nationalist squad jerseys. (Bryan Preston/Fox News Digital)
My brother-in-law and nephew traveled each the mode from Tokyo to my location authorities to spot the crippled with my lad and me. It was their 3rd World Cup, but my precise first.
To springiness them the afloat Texas experience, we checked disconnected each the staples: homemade and edifice BBQ, Tex-Mex, Buc-ee’s, and a travel to the weapon range. They loved each infinitesimal of it.
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We had bought our tickets the time they went connected sale, landing seats up adjacent the stadium roof. But it didn't substance — determination isn’t a atrocious spot successful the house.
We were surrounded by the faithful, with the "ultras" conscionable disconnected to our left. No substance what was happening connected the field, they ne'er stopped chanting "Nippon! Nippon!"
The ambiance surpassed immoderate sporting lawsuit I’ve ever attended successful person.
Nearly everyone was decked retired successful squad colors: the Dutch fans were mostly stoic; the Japanese fans were loud, animated, and keeping the stadium rocking.
Japan's ultra supporters cheer from the stands during a FIFA World Cup match, creating a vibrant ambiance arsenic they rally down their team. (Bryan Preston/Fox News Digital)
The lucifer opened with a precise American, rocket-launch-style countdown.
The archetypal half, however, was thing but explosive.
The Netherlands dominated possession portion Japan sat backmost and defended. "Turgid" mightiness beryllium 1 mode to picture it; "cagey" and "strategic" are astir apt much complimentary. Both teams played precisely to type.
The 2nd fractional was a wholly antithetic story, bursting with enactment connected some ends of the pitch. The Netherlands struck archetypal erstwhile legendary defender Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring with 1 of his trademark headers.
Instead of falling silent, Japan’s fans conscionable got louder and jumped harder. The players fed disconnected that energy. Just 7 minutes later, Japan struck backmost done Keito Nakamura.
The equalizer brought roar aft roar from the crowd.
In the chaos, I high-fived my family, the household successful beforehand of me, the Japanese household to my left, and accidentally high-fived the household down maine who were wearing Netherlands jerseys.
Luckily, they didn’t look to mind.
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The Dutch reclaimed the pb successful the 64th infinitesimal done West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville, and erstwhile again, the Japanese fans responded by cranking up the noise. The players picked up the pace, pushing higher and harder up the field.
Their reward came successful the 89th minute. Japan earned a country and converted it into a superb extremity disconnected the heads of Koki Ogawa and Daichi Kamada.
A thrilling 2-2 gully was a highly respectable mode to commencement the tournament.
While casual observers mightiness not traditionally radical Japan with soccer's elite, they aren't astonishing anyone who has been paying attention.
Japan’s women’s squad are already planetary powers with a World Cup trophy to their name, and the men’s squad has notched immoderate superior giant-killings recently, beating Brazil and top-five ranked England successful the run-up to 2026.
(Not to notation their stunning triumph implicit Spain successful the 2022 World Cup, which knocked four-time champions Germany retired of the tournament).
Fans representing Japan and the Netherlands ticker a FIFA World Cup lucifer from a stadium suite arsenic supporters capable the stands below. (Bryan Preston/Fox News Digital)
And portion the home J-League is implicit 30 years aged and thriving, the nationalist squad has softly go a European powerhouse.
The immense bulk of its roster plays for top-tier European clubs: defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was a instrumentality favourite with English giants Arsenal earlier moving to Ajax; maestro Takefusa Kubo is astatine Real Sociedad; goalkeeper Zion Suzuki is with Parma; Hiroki Ito is astatine Bayern Munich; and Kamada is astatine Crystal Palace.
That is simply a monolithic magnitude of elite European experience, and that's not adjacent each of Japan's nationalist squad talent.
They are incredibly good. They play similar a choky team, with method quality and a nasty counterattack that tin flood the opposition's fractional successful a flash.
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Will they triumph it all? Probably not this clip around. But they're going to marque a batch of giants tense earlier they're done. Just inquire the Dutch.
No substance however acold they spell successful the tournament, 1 happening is already certain: Japan's fans person won implicit the world. And they'll astir apt permission the stadium cleaner than they recovered it.
Go Samurai Blue, y'all!
Bryan Preston is simply a subject seasoned and a Senior Editor astatine Fox News.
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