Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Japan fans use blue bags to uphold a cleansing World Cup tradition after draw

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Those blue bags Japan fans waved in a frenzy after their team got a late tying goal were then used after the final whistle to maintain what has become a cleansing World Cup tradition.

The Samurai Blue fans cleaned up before they left the stadium Sunday, picking up trash from the stands after Japan’s 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in Group F.

Only a few minutes earlier, those then-empty blue bags were prominent in the celebration when Daichi Kamada scored on a header off Koki Ogawa’s corner kick in the 88th minute.

Along with the constant chants for their team, those bags the fans bring to the stadium are often raised in unison. The scene becomes frantic after goals, such as Keito Nakamura’s earlier in the second half to tie the game at 1-all and Kamada’s shot that ultimately secured a point for Japan.

Scenes of Japanese soccer fans picking up and sweeping trash first drew public attention during the team’s first World Cup appearance in France in 1998. They have done it every four years since, including in Qatar in 2022.

Now they have left their mark and no trash at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, where workers usually have a lot more cleanup duty after games.

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Japan fans use blue bags to uphold a cleansing World Cup tradition after draw | iNFOnews.ca
Japan fans clean up trash in the stadium following the World Cup Group F soccer match between the Netherlands and Japan in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
Japan fans use blue bags to uphold a cleansing World Cup tradition after draw | iNFOnews.ca
Japan fans clean up trash in the stadium following the World Cup Group F soccer match between the Netherlands and Japan in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
Japan fans use blue bags to uphold a cleansing World Cup tradition after draw | iNFOnews.ca
Bags of trash collected by Japan fans sits in the empty stands following the World Cup Group F soccer match between the Netherlands and Japan in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.