After Japan’s 1-1 draw with Sweden at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, the team’s famous post-match stadium cleanup—using blue bags labeled “Japan Pride”—brought new faces into the stands, with locals and even NFL quarterback Jameis Winston seen joining in. The traditi
For 90 minutes, Japan’s supporters didn’t just watch the match—they sang through it. And after the 1-1 draw with Sweden in their final group-stage game at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Thursday, the noise didn’t end with the final whistle.
Instead, the celebration moved into the stands. Japanese fans were pictured collecting rubbish left behind and disposing of it into blue plastic bags labeled “Japan Pride.” Those bags are brought to matches in large numbers by supporters. inflated before the Samurai Blue enter the pitch pre-match to show support. Once the game is over. the same bags are used for post-match collection. with the waste then disposed of according to local rules.
In Dallas, the tradition appeared to pull in people who weren’t originally part of the Japanese section. Local resident Eitan Podgaetz, who is Mexican, told the Dallas Morning News that Japan’s fans inspired him to get involved.
“It was a great atmosphere,” Podgaetz said. “The Japanese fans spent all 90 minutes singing, they never stopped.”
“It was a great experience.”
Podgaetz wasn’t the only one spotted participating. Jameis Winston, a quarterback for the New York Giants in the NFL, was also seen wearing a Japan shirt and joining in the cleanup.
The cleanup ritual is not new to Japanese World Cup weekends. It has existed since Japan’s debut appearance at the World Cup back in 1998, and has continued in each of their seven subsequent appearances—making it one of the most recognizable pieces of fan culture at the tournament.
What made Thursday’s scenes different wasn’t the act itself, but who was seen doing it. Locals joining in suggests the momentum of a discipline-first culture is traveling beyond Japanese supporters and into the wider matchday crowd.
The tradition has been visible at multiple tournaments. Back in March. supporters were praised as “selfless” and “respectful” after staying for nearly an hour after an international friendly against England to clean up any mess left behind. Videos and images showed visiting supporters trawling through the stands at Wembley Stadium and picking up coffee cups. crisp packets and sweet wrappers. It earned them praise from Wembley’s official social media page, which posted: “Thank you.”.
At the last World Cup finals four years ago in Qatar. Japan’s fans were commended after staying late to clean up following a landmark 2-1 victory over Germany. After their 2-1 win over Colombia at the 2018 tournament in Russia. fans ensured they left no mess behind before leaving the Mordovia Arena in Saransk. That 2018 move also appeared to spark a ripple effect. with Senegalese fans later seen tidying up following their win over Poland.
Japan’s players have also been recognized for leaving changing rooms spotless, including after the win over Germany, when the team left their dressing room in pristine condition and even left behind origami swans with a thank you note in Japanese and Arabic.
Beyond the tournament, the cultural roots are explained by scholars. In 2018, Scott North, a professor of sociology at Osaka University, told the BBC that tidying is a way of “demonstrating pride in the Japanese way of life.”
“It’s not just part of the football culture but part of Japanese culture,” North said. “You often hear people say that football is a reflection of culture. An important aspect of Japanese society is making sure that everything is absolutely clean and that’s the case in all sporting events and certainly also in football.”.
North added that cleaning after football matches is an extension of basic behaviours taught in school, where children clean their school classrooms and hallways. “With constant reminders throughout childhood, these behaviours become habits for much of the population,” he said.
Even so, the fan cleanup has not been universally embraced in Japan. The tradition has received mixed reaction back home, particularly from male fans who, after being praised on social media, have been told to also contribute to housekeeping back home.
For now, the next chapter is already scheduled. Japan will continue the post-match cleanup tradition following their last-32 tie at the World Cup. Having finished second in Group F, Japan will face record five-time winners Brazil in Houston on June 29.
They will also be bidding to win a World Cup knock-out match for the first time in their history.
The sequence from Thursday’s stands to the next stage is simple: a disciplined group arrives, supports with noise and blue bags, and then clears the evidence of the night—sometimes alongside locals who decide, almost instinctively, to join in.
Japan fans Sweden World Cup AT&T Stadium Dallas Japan Pride bags Eitan Podgaetz Jameis Winston cleanup tradition Brazil Houston June 29