During Japan’s match against Tunisia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, more than 50,000 Mexican supporters filled the stadium with thunderous chants of “¡Japón!” (“Japan!”), creating an overwhelming home-like atmosphere for the Japanese national team. Head coach Hajime Moriyasu expressed his gratitude to Mexico, saying simply, “Gracias” (“Thank you”).
In the discussion thread, users offered various explanations for Mexico’s affection toward Japan, including the popularity of Japanese anime such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Saint Seiya, memories of exchanges during the U-17 World Cup, the presence of Japanese companies in Mexico, decades of cultural ties through professional wrestling, and the historic 1888 Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between the two nations.
Many commenters were touched by the deep friendship between Japan and Mexico, while others joked that Tunisia almost deserved sympathy given how heavily the crowd favored Japan.
94: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:59:50
1
The crowd noise was insane.
It sounded like an earthquake. lol
5: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:24:34
Maybe it’s the friendship that started back at the U-17 World Cup.
6: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:25:33
Apparently they like Japan because anime is popular there.
Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, Naruto, and all that.
10: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:25:53
They were wearing green shirts and cheering for Japan too.
There were actually quite a lot of them.
11: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:26:33
“Thank You, Japan!” The Viral U-17 World Cup Friendship Video Between Japan and Mexico — Mexican Journalists Explain Why Mexico Is One of the Most Pro-Japan Countries in the World
31: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:34:11
11
This.
13: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:26:48
I didn’t realize Mexico was so pro-Japan.
I’m going out to buy some cactus 🌵 and tacos 🌮 right now.
29: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:32:41
13
MIDORI is hugely popular in Mexico.
It’s that green melon liqueur from Suntory.
81: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:54:30
13
The Masked Brothers and Japanese wrestling have had close ties for years too.
144: Anonymous 06/21/2026 18:27:19
13
A ton of Japanese companies operate in Mexico.
14: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:26:50
The crowd was so pro-Japan that I almost felt bad for Tunisia.
15: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:28:30
There were people like this too.
112: Anonymous 06/21/2026 18:07:52
15
Thanks, Mexico.
114: Anonymous 06/21/2026 18:08:59
15
Guess I’ll celebrate with tacos.
No idea where to buy them though.
18: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:29:45
Poor Tunisia.
19: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:29:47
The entire stadium was so pro-Japan that I actually felt guilty for Tunisia. lol
20: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:30:14
Why was everyone cheering for Japan?
It can’t just be because Japan held its training camp there.
It almost felt like Tunisia had done something to upset them.
84: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:55:47
20
There’s been familiarity through wrestling for years.
And I’ve heard Maruchan noodles sell like crazy in Mexico.
163: Anonymous 06/21/2026 18:42:23
20
There’s been tons of interaction through pro wrestling.
174: Anonymous 06/21/2026 18:53:37
20
In 1888, Mexico became the first country to sign a fully equal friendship and trade treaty with Japan.
For Mexico, Japan was the first Asian nation it signed such a treaty with.
22: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:30:53
Those “Japan!” chants were incredible.
Why are Mexicans cheering for us so much?
60: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:46:20
22
When Japan arrived at its training camp, local residents welcomed them.
Apparently some other national teams just ignored everyone while wearing headphones.
Japan’s players, on the other hand, put on the hats they were given, greeted people with “Amigo!”, and interacted warmly.
That probably helped.
And of course there’s anime too.
Godzilla Minus One and Demon Slayer were huge hits there.
25: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:32:12
Japanese football is genuinely respected now.
Wasn’t it the U-17 World Cup where Japan and Mexico became really close?
Thank you, Mexico.
Thank you for your hospitality.
32: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:34:30
I remember Keisuke Honda saying Japanese football used Mexico and Spain as models.
Maybe because of Aguirre?
38: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:37:51
32
Mexico, Spain, and Brazil.
Japan traditionally looked to technically skilled countries because of physical disadvantages.
44: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:40:15
32
Even before Japan qualified for the World Cup, people often said Japan should aim to become like Mexico.
The physical build seemed somewhat similar, and Mexico was a consistent Round-of-16 team.
There have also been strange connections over the years.
Japan and Mexico met in Women’s World Cup playoffs twice.
Honda’s first F1 victory came in Mexico.
When Formula One first came to Suzuka, the previous race had been in Mexico, and people described it as “from the land of the sun to the land where the sun rises.”
Even Shinji Tanimura spent time wandering Mexico before forming Alice.
82: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:54:33
44
A lot of young Japanese wrestlers used to train in Mexico.
33: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:34:49
This is honestly a mystery.
Someone should ask actual Mexicans why.
36: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:35:26
Mexico completely turned into Japan’s home stadium. lol
Tunisia was already weaker and then had to play an away game too.
43: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:39:34
The sound pressure was like a jet engine.
Absolutely insane.
46: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:41:08
I once saw a documentary about Japanese football history.
During the bronze medal match at the 1968 Mexico Olympics between Japan and Mexico, the crowd started chanting “Japan! Japan!” near the end of the game.
It’s considered a legendary story, but I always wondered why.
48: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:41:48
Looking at X, anime really seems to be the biggest factor.
55: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:43:53
They were singing:
“Ole, ole, ole, ole! Japón! Japón!”
58: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:45:41
I was wondering why Mexicans were cheering for Japan so much.
Maybe it really was because Japan trained there.
59: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:46:13
It honestly felt like a home match.
67: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:49:24
The pre-match coverage on TV really showed how pro-Japan the atmosphere was.
71: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:50:33
There are actually quite a few Japanese national team fans overseas.
Kind of like how we look forward to watching Spain play, just on a smaller scale.
Probably the only Asian team with that level of support.
75: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:51:39
I remember Japan and Mexico being pretty friendly during the previous World Cup too.
I think they even stayed at the same hotel or something.
77: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:53:30
I always thought of Mexico as a dangerous place with cartel violence and beheadings.
Is it peaceful now?
79: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:53:59
It really did feel like a home game.
At first I thought thousands of Japanese fans had traveled there.
80: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:54:27
Mexico has always been pro-Japan.
Honestly, most of Latin America is.
I genuinely think Dragon Ball deserves a lot of the credit.
88: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:57:52
Mexico was one of the first countries to help Japan with crude oil imports.
We should be grateful.
89: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:58:12
Mazda has factories there too.
90: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:58:34
So all those people in green jerseys were actually wearing Mexico shirts?
91: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:58:37
I didn’t know Mexico was so pro-Japan.
“There are way too many Mexicans wearing Japan jerseys 😂”
99: Anonymous 06/21/2026 18:01:03
91
Thank anime.
92: Anonymous 06/21/2026 17:58:46
There’s the friendship story from last year’s U-17 World Cup.
And Ranma ½ was such a phenomenon in Mexico that it became a cultural event.
97: Anonymous 06/21/2026 18:00:29
Sorry, but tequila has always had a bad image for me.
In Japan it’s basically seen as the drink of party animals and troublemakers.
