Japanese Fans Go Viral for Cleaning Stadium and Keeping Street Celebrations Orderly

Japanese supporters at the 2026 World Cup drew widespread attention after the match against the Netherlands, not for chaos in the stands but for their discipline. After the game, thousands of fans stayed behind with blue trash bags, collecting food scraps, cups and other litter left in the stadium and leaving their section spotless.

The behavior, highlighted in video clips from the United States and Japan, was presented as a long-standing Japanese custom rooted in the country’s education system. The article says children are taught from kindergarten to take responsibility for their surroundings, and that students in Japan clean their own classrooms and hallways as part of a shared civic duty, not someone else’s job.

One fan identified as Hirokazu Tsunoda, who has followed the Samurai Blue for nearly 20 years, said he once disliked cleaning duties at school but now sees them as the foundation of the respectful fan culture on display. “It is not a place where you can do whatever you want just because you paid for a ticket,” he said. “For us it is a space that must be respected.”

The same orderly approach was also shown in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, where fans gathered to celebrate. Even there, they moved off the road whenever the pedestrian light turned red and waited on the sidewalk until it turned green again, so traffic could pass. The article says football fans worldwide praised the conduct, contrasting it with the vandalism and disorder often seen at sporting celebrations.