@almost.world: Japanese fans are going viral again at the 2026 World Cup for staying after their game to clean up trash in the stadium. Over the years, Japanese fans have created a tradition of cleaning up after their World Cup matches since the country first participated in the 1998 games in France. The behavior traces back to school. In Japan, children clean their own classrooms and hallways as part of their daily routine, a practice called “souji,” rather than leaving it to professional cleaners. The tradition gained wider international attention at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where fans cleared their sections regardless of the results. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Japanese fans briefly stopped their celebration to clean Khalifa International Stadium after a 2-1 win against Germany and were also praised for putting away miscellaneous trash during the opening games of Ecuador and Qatar. Japanese players have also carried the tradition into dressing rooms, leaving the room spotless and placing thank-you notes, sometimes folded into origami cranes, on top of neatly bagged waste. After Japan’s opening match at the 2026 World Cup on Sunday, June 14, Japanese fans cleaned the stadium in Dallas, Texas, after a 2-2 draw with the Dutch team. FIFA shared footage after the match, showing hundreds of fans combing through rows of seats, picking up plastic bottles, food wrappers and cups and stuffing them into blue bags printed with the words "Japan Pride." Photos shared online also showed the Japanese team’s dressing room spotless after the team cleaned it and left thank you messages in different languages. People online praised Japanese fans and players after the footage went viral. "That's the culture. It's like respect for everything. Respect for the players' supporters and also for the stadium," one person said online. Japan is currently tied for second place in Group F and will look to advance to the knockout stage as the 2026 World Cup continues. #fyp #EduTok #LearnOnTikTok #tiktoknews

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Wednesday 17 June 2026 06:38:36 GMT