When Japan qualified for the FIFA World Cup last year, there was some attention towards not just the possible opponents, but where the Samurai Blue would have played. And when they ended up in Group F – against the Netherlands, Tunisia, and Sweden (round table about this group here) –, many noticed immediately one detail. Outside of the three hosts, some teams have the chance to play in the same city and stadium twice in the Group Stage.
Take venues like Zapopan (where South Korea play twice), Foxborough (both Scotland and Norway will do that), Santa Clara (Paraguay and Jordan), Philadelphia (Ivory Coast), Guadalupe (Tunisia), Seattle (Egypt), Toronto (Panama), Inglewood (Iran – that’s gonna be a problem), Vancouver (New Zealand), Atlanta (Spain), Miami (Uruguay), East Rutherford (Senegal), Houston (Portugal), Kansas City (in love with Algeria).
And then you’ll have Arlington, Texas, which will host twice two teams. One of them will be the defending champions, Argentina, squaring off against Algeria and Austria in the first two matches. And that’s exactly what’s happening with Japan as well – with the Samurai Blue playing the Netherlands and Sweden in the first and third game of the Group Stage. It’s an incredible opportunity for the Japanese community on the ground, and we wanted to feel their excitement.
And that’s exactly what we’ve done by contacting the Dallas Japanese Association (or DJA), trying to understand what’s the vibe around the national team and the upcoming matches to play at the AT&T Stadium – a venue normally used by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL, but now featuring Japan twice at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 124 years after the request of the Houston Chamber of Commerce (requesting help to the Japanese Consulate to help the rice production), we’re here.
Japan, the FIFA World Cup and a passion from far away
It was natural to talk with the fans there about how their passion for the Samurai Blue and football in general cemented throughout the last decades. And there were several reasons: whether because the J.League was born while you were in high school and old enough to grasp it, or because soccer was part of your life when you were a kid and played it, the Japanese football movement reached undiscovered heights.
There’s a memory that particularly struck me: “I was in high school (in Japan) when the J.League was established. It was such a fun experience to see the popularity of the soccer growing so quickly (obviously, baseball was “the” sports back then). The game was exciting, and watching it was so fun. I still remember my first J.League match, featuring my favorite team Verdy. Watching King Kazu scoring a goal and doing his famous “Kazu Dance” is still one of my greatest memories.”
And memories helped shaping that love as well. Some of them went through a heartbreak to cement their interest into Japanese football – for example, the “Agony of Doha”, the famous draw against Iraq which prevented the Samurai Blue from playing their first FIFA World Cup, which would have been… in the United States (what an irony). Or the successive edition, in which Japan debuted in the competition, moving their first steps on the global stage.
The Japanese community in Dallas, anyways, made a long way from those times until where it is now: “I’m glad to see that Japanese soccer’s level reached the world’s finest level, especially since many European and South American countries have been very successful in this discipline”.
Arlington, Texas – a Japanese community awaits
It wasn’t sure where Japan would have played in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, although the USA seemed a certain destination. And the Samurai Blue had a previous history of playing there a few times: the last time happened just a few months ago, when Japan embarked themselves into a US tour with two scheduled friendly games in September 2025 – one in Oakland, California (a 0-0 draw against Mexico) and the other in Columbus, Ohio (a 2-0 loss against the USA).
The other times that Japan featured on the US soil were just two, in 2014 (they played two pre-WC friendlies against Costa Rica and Zambia in Florida), and 2006 (a 3-2 loss against the USA in San Francisco). Therefore, you can imagine how big of a deal might be to see the Samurai Blue playing not just once, but twice in Arlington, Texas.
The excitement is palpable: “The Dallas community was already super excited. When they announced Japan will be one of the team playing games here, the entire Japanese community went nuts – we all get involved when Japanese players come to Dallas. Golf, basketball, tennis, Nadeshiko Japan… all the others, but having the Samurai Blue and World Cup games is on another level. Every time we meet each other, the main topic is always that one”.
And many hope to pass on this passion to their children: “Since I have a daughter who plays soccer since a young age, we’ve always been involved in the soccer community. FC Dallas gained some traction, but nothing compared to NFL, NBA, MLB or even the USWNT (their games are always sold out quickly). There’s also a huge youth soccer tournament called Dallas Cup every year, and many youth teams around the world come participate, with even one to five Japanese teams featuring.”
Dreaming in the USA
The aim of the Samurai Blue is to win the whole thing, but the minimal goal seems to be reaching the quarter-finals. But there are so many more expectations despite some absences, like Kaoru Mitoma: “With so many injuries, it’s tough to predict the outcome this year. But I truly believe each player will shine and play their best. I hope them to go as far as they can go of course. I’m confident they will make it to the knock-out stage”.
History awaits on June 14th and June 26th, 2026 – when Japan will play in Arlington, respectively against the Netherlands and Sweden. For many, it’ll be a life-changing moment to be in the stands, even though competition from opposite fans might be hard, especially in the debut match: “It would be a tough game vs Netherlands. Their local community is bigger than the Japanese one in the area, so the vibe might swing slightly towards the Oranje. I hope that the players won’t get too much pressure mentally”.
When I asked around about the favourite player, given Mitoma’s absence, captain Wataru Endo seemed to have picked the favour of the most fans (although he’ll unfortunately miss the event due to an injury). And many are cautious as well about the progress Japan can make in such a chaotic tournament, but on one thing there’s no doubt: the Japanese community in the US can’t wait to embrace this. You can see it as well from the fans gathering in Nashville at the training camp.
Compared to the previous football experiences by the Samurai Blue, many local fans are probably hoping to see a repeat of the “Miracle of Miami” – the 1996 Olympic Games’ football tournament, in which the U-23 side of Japan beat 1-0 Brazil in Miami, although it wasn’t enough to go through to the quarter-finals. Still, it’s a legacy living in football fans in Japan – and Arlington could provide the same magic for future generations.
We want to wholeheartedly thank the Dallas Japanese Association (DJA) in Texas, who put us in contact with some local fans and made this small coverage possible to understand the excitement on the ground. You can visit their website at https://godja.org/ or visit their Facebook page.
