{"id":40469,"date":"2026-06-14T21:22:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T21:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/40469\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T21:22:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T21:22:36","slug":"world-cup-2026-cowboy-country-turns-into-football-epicentre-in-dallas-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/40469\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cup 2026: Cowboy country turns into football epicentre in Dallas, Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

An oversized concrete football sporting a cowboy hat sits in the middle of an open-air plaza, as a DJ pumps out bangers.<\/p>\n

Chants of “Nippon, Nippon” reverberate through the thick heat of a Dallas summer evening, and a man dressed in a glorious homemade cardboard armour concoction revs up the crowd.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Japanese supporter enjoys the fan day. (ABC Sport: Amanda Shalala)<\/p>\n

This is Plano, Texas, an affluent suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, home to only a couple of thousand Japanese residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And most of them seem to be here on what has been named “Japan Day”, as a prelude to the Samurai Blue’s first World Cup game against the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Colourful characters at Japan Day. (ABC Sport: Amanda Shalala)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Nippon man gets the crowd excited. (ABC Sport: Amanda Shalala)<\/p>\n

The team’s main supporter group, Ultras Nippon, has combined with MLS side FC Dallas and supporter group Dallas Beer Guardians to bring this event to life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dennis McGowan, the Beer Guardians’ vice-president, says they have a long-standing connection with Japan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Dennis McGowan (left) wants Dallas to continue its love of football after the World Cup. (ABC Sport: Amanda Shalala)<\/p>\n

“We have friends that go over and go to FC Tokyo games all the time, and go to many other games across Japan,” he said.<\/p>\n

“And so we’ve had a great relationship with them over the years and being able to welcome them to our home now is just incredible.”<\/p>\n

Dallas will host nine games \u2014 the most of any city \u2014 this tournament, and Mr McGowan hopes it can leave a lasting impact.<\/p>\n

“I want local people to come out and see that beyond just the international game, we have the game here,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

This is football, Texas style. (ABC Sport: Amanda Shalala)<\/p>\n

“We’ve got FC Dallas here, we’ve got the Dallas Trinity here, the women’s club. We’ve got some lower level sides here in town too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“As much as we love the game this time of year and every four years, let’s go ahead and bring this energy to the local game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Go out and support your local club, because that’s how the game grows.”<\/p>\n

Stay across the latest news, analysis and features from the 2026 FIFA World Cup here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From door knocking to sell-out crowds<\/p>\n

Seeing cowboy country become a football field of dreams is a big source of pride for Kenny Cooper.<\/p>\n

He is a legend of the local football scene here, having played for FC Dallas in the MLS.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Kenny Cooper was a long-time player for MLS side FC Dallas. (ABC Sport: Amanda Shalala)<\/p>\n

His father, Kenny Cooper senior, emigrated from England to the US in the 70s to play for the Dallas Tornados.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“He used to knock on doors to get people to come out to games,” Cooper Jr said.<\/p>\n

“My father was part of a generation of players who planted a lot of seeds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“They coached locally, a lot of them stayed here. They worked really hard to grow the game. They were true ambassadors of the game.<\/p>\n

“And here we are 50 years later and the game’s alive and thriving. And it’s just beautiful to see and to be a part of.”<\/p>\n

Cooper said having the World Cup here is a galvanising force for the community.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Local and travelling fans will support Japan at the World Cup. (ABC Sport: Amanda Shalala)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Samurai Blue fans make their presence felt in Dallas. (ABC Sport: Amanda Shalala)<\/p>\n

“Seeing how many people are out here is a testament to just how welcoming our city is, how much people love the game,” he said.<\/p>\n

“And the best part about this game is that it gathers people in [their] community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“And the World Cup presents so many opportunities to do that, to be with each other, to celebrate each other, celebrate diversity, celebrate the beautiful game.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oranje wash\u00a0\"A<\/p>\n

A live band entertains fans at the Netherlands’ pre-match party. (ABC Sport: Amanda Shalala)<\/p>\n

Across town at Henk’s European Deli & Black Forest Bakery, it is a sea of orange as Dutch fans have their own pre-match party.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among them are four generations of one Texan family, including matriarch Lottie, who is originally from the Netherlands.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I’m an American citizen now, but in my heart I’m Dutch,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"Four<\/p>\n

Lottie (far right) with her granddaughter, daughter and great-grandson. (ABC Sport: Amanda Shalala)<\/p>\n

Her daughter, Sandra, says football has always been a big part of her family’s life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Even though we’re here in the United States, [my parents] still try to keep the Dutch culture \u2014 football being one of it,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I’ve always wanted to go to one of the games and we’ve just never been able to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“And now that it’s here, I told my mum and my family, ‘We’re going.'”<\/p>\n

Lottie’s granddaughter, Lindsay, is just as excited to support the Oranje.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Are you attending the World Cup? Tell us<\/a><\/p>\n

We want to hear from Aussie fans making the journey or attending a game.<\/p>\n

“There’s not a lot of Dutch culture around Keller, Texas, where I live,” she said.<\/p>\n

“So it’s great to have this opportunity where we can actually be a part of something that is a part of my culture and my family.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Japan and the Netherlands take centre stage first, England, Croatia, Argentina, and Austria will all get their turn to take in Dallas in the group stage.<\/p>\n

Will you be in North America for the FIFA World Cup? We want to hear from you<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An oversized concrete football sporting a cowboy hat sits in the middle of an open-air plaza, as a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40470,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[20419,29276,28634,5084,8,17,5170,29586,29587,5172,1755,4717,29588,11072],"class_list":["post-40469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-japan","tag-dallas","tag-dutch","tag-fans","tag-fifa-world-cup","tag-japan","tag-japanese","tag-netherlands","tag-nippon-ultras","tag-oranje","tag-samurai-blue","tag-soccer","tag-texas","tag-ultra-nippon","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}