Merlin, a two-year-old duck wearing Mexico’s home jersey and shoes, became a viral sensation following Mexico’s 2-0 win over South Africa on June 11, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The duck was seen wandering among fans at the match, capturing global attention. Owner Carla Gomez said, “He is the boss of the business,” after training Merlin to follow her and her son Cristian on a harness and outfitting him with a specially purchased jersey from an animal clothing seller [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Merlin’s video posted on X has earned over five million views and sparked offers to buy the duck, all rejected by Gomez [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. A fan joked, “If it looks like a fan, walks like a fan, and quacks like a fan, it’s a fan,” highlighting Merlin’s unexpected stardom [1].

On June 15, 2026, Japanese supporters celebrated their national team’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands by briefly occupying Tokyo’s Shibuya crossing for exactly 40 seconds while traffic was halted [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Videos of the event garnered more than 5.1 million views by mid-July 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Commenting on the orderly nature of the celebration, X user @louisdives noted, “Following traffic signs is a Japanese custom” [1].

Dancing has unified fans across nations, with South Korean and Mexican supporters bonding over Psy’s "Gangnam Style" during World Cup events [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Norwegian fans marked Norway’s return to the tournament by performing a traditional "viking row" dance, which includes drumming and mimicking rowing motions, at a pre-tournament friendly against Sweden and their opening 4-1 win over Iraq [6, 7, 8].

Fan culture continues to resonate beyond 2026. At the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Argentina’s supporters famously serenaded Lionel Messi with a song written by fan Fernando Romero, sung nationwide and energizing the team’s eventual victory [6, 7, 8]. Japanese fans popularized the bilingual chant “Vamos Nippon” during that campaign [6, 7, 8]. Meanwhile, England’s famous “It’s coming home” chant has shifted in tone, often used to mock the team still seeking a major tournament win since 1966 [6, 7, 8].

The next update on fan celebrations is expected as the tournament progresses through the summer, with more viral moments likely to emerge.