Overview
- Japan, which won 1-0 at Wembley on Tuesday, became the first Asian men's team to defeat England as Kaoru Mitoma scored the only goal.
- After the final whistle, many Japanese supporters picked up litter in the away section, and Wembley Stadium posted a 'Thank you' video that went viral.
- Observers linked the tidy-up to cultural norms such as school cleaning routines known as souji and the hospitality concept omotenashi, with FIFA having recognized Japanese fans for similar efforts at the 2022 World Cup.
- England manager Thomas Tuchel called the home loss painful and said the team must learn from it, with selection decisions for his World Cup squad drawing closer after he tested a new setup that included Phil Foden up front.
- Recent instances in Scotland and past World Cups show the practice is routine for Japanese fans, a visible standard that some hope will nudge other supporter groups to take shared responsibility for stadium spaces.