Chinese football fans in Shanghai celebrated Japan’s 4-0 win over Tunisia in a 2026 World Cup group match on June 21, cheering loudly in local sports bars [1, 2, 3, 4]. Japan’s Ayase Ueda scored a header goal that sealed the victory [1, 2, 3, 4].

The warm support came despite ongoing political tensions between China and Japan. Relations worsened after conservative Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office in 2025 and made contentious remarks in November 2025 about Taiwan, straining trade ties [1, 2, 3, 4].

Some Chinese fans have put aside politics to back Japan’s team, citing their love for Japanese anime and Asian pride. Fan, a Japanese fan group organizer in Shanghai, said, "For our generation – the 90s generation – most of us basically grew up watching a lot of Japanese anime, including Captain Tsubasa (a series about a football prodigy)" [1]. He added, "More importantly, since we are both part of Asia, you could say that Japan now represents the pride and glory of Asian football" [4].

China has struggled in football, qualifying only once for the World Cup in 2002, where it lost all three games without scoring a goal [1, 2, 3, 4]. Currently, China is ranked 91st in FIFA’s world rankings, while Japan holds the position of the top Asian team at 16th place [1, 2, 3, 4].

Experts like Fu Jinyu note that Japan’s football success comes from a modern ecosystem supporting youth development and fan culture, reaching what he calls "European-level competitiveness" [1]. Meanwhile, Chinese football is described as increasingly insular and uncertain about its development path. Jasper Sun, a Japanese fan group member, said, "Chinese football... has become increasingly insular and is simply not as open as it used to be" [3].

Fan and Sun acknowledged occasional online abuse or animosity from some Chinese fans, but they felt Shanghai is generally more open-minded and inclusive. Sun said, "Shanghai is relatively open-minded and inclusive" [4]. Fan added, "There will definitely be people like that, but personally, I don’t really pay much attention to that kind of thing" [4]. Sun recalled no major conflicts when traveling to support Japan in China, including attending a 2024 match in Xiamen [4].

Fan expressed hopes that football could foster better ties, saying, "I finally dream of helping to build a bridge of friendship between the two nations" [2].

The 2026 World Cup, expanded from 32 to 48 teams, continues through June with matches across multiple host cities [2].