Connecting with the world at 5 AM. I want to cheer for the FIFA World Cup 2026

5 AM.

I'm probably sleepy.
Quite sleepy.

In fact, since the night before,
a different kind of battle had already begun:
"Will I be able to wake up?"

But I want to wake up.
Or rather, I got into bed but couldn't sleep.

FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Japan national team has a match.

People who know a lot about soccer,
and those who don't usually watch it much,
all look in the same direction just for this moment.

It's mysterious.

Even though we aren't watching the same TV,
even though we aren't gathered in the same place,
"Japan is fighting right now."
Just that thought makes our hearts turn in the same direction for a little while.

I'm not someone who can talk about the fine tactics of soccer.

I don't have the confidence to accurately explain
things like formations
or pressing positions.

But there are things I do understand.

Seeing people running makes my heart race.

Seeing them never give up until the very end
makes me stand a little taller, too.

Watching them chase a ball that might not even reach them, I find myself projecting a bit of my own life onto them.

Perhaps we
don't just want to see them win.

Of course, I want them to win.
I want them to win so badly.

If possible, I want to shout.
I want to shout from the morning, just enough not to disturb the neighbors.

But more than that,
I think I want to see them fight on the big world stage,
believing in their own style of soccer.

The Japan national team has become stronger.

Even since people started saying that,
the world is still vast.

There is surely no opponent who will let us win easily.

The Netherlands, Tunisia, Sweden—
they all come carrying the pride of their respective countries.

That is why it's interesting.

That is why it's painful.

That is why I want to cheer for them.

When someone is running,
we are also running a little bit in our own places.

People going to work.
People doing housework.
People rubbing their sleepy eyes to watch the screen.
People checking the results later.
People quietly saying "Good luck" in their hearts.

The form of support can be whatever it is for each person.

It's okay if you can't shout out loud.
It's okay if you don't have a uniform.
It's okay if you don't know much about soccer.

Just the fact that
somewhere in the world, blue uniforms are running.

If just thinking about that
allows you to start your day a little more positively,
I think that is also a wonderful form of support.

FIFA World Cup 2026.

Go Japan, do your best.

I want you to win.
But more than that,
please, until the very end, fight in your own way.

And we, too,
in our own places,
will properly fight our own day.

The 5 AM kickoff
is not just the start of a match.

Within our sleepy daily lives,
it was the sound of a door to the world opening.

#FIFAWorldCup2026
#WorldCup
#JapanNationalSoccerTeam
#SAMURAIBLUE
#JapanNationalTeam
#Support
#5AMBattle
#note
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#Mie'sMonologue