Overview
- Japan and the Netherlands played to a 2–2 draw on Sunday, with Daichi Kamada scoring a late equaliser to rescue a point for Japan.
- After the final whistle thousands of Japan supporters stayed in their section at AT&T Stadium in Dallas to collect litter and pack it into the blue bags they had waved during the match.
- FIFA reposted footage of the cleanup on its official X account and the clips and images went viral, drawing widespread praise and millions of views across social media.
- Photographs showed the Japan team leaving their locker room neat and organised, and onlookers reported that some attendees, including Jameis Winston, joined supporters in the cleanup.
- Journalists and experts say the practice stems from Japan’s osouji jikan school routines, the proverb about leaving no trace, and past World Cup examples in 1998 and 2022, making the action a recurring expression of civic duty and national image.