# @clubeleven on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DadohORD5Og
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/67630142-clubeleven-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/a2fe40ecfc.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-07-06T19:22:59.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** CLUBELEVEN (@clubeleven) — https://gondola.cc/clubeleven

## Caption

For one afternoon, this small bar off the side of some old railroad tracks in Texas was the best place to be in the world. 

We’d woken up early after our time in Dallas at a Jordanian watch party the night before, and we drove into Houston eager to see how the Japanese fans prepared for their crucial match against Brazil. The four-hour trek flew by, and we arrived thirsty and eager to meet with supporters who’d traveled halfway around the world just for this moment. 

In the distance, the bar looked pretty much like the ones you’d find in any college town across America. And spilling out onto the porch and lawn, Naruto costumes, samurai armors, and a sea of blue twinkled in the afternoon sun. With a smile on our faces, we stepped onto the lawn and found a welcome surprise.

Standing near the entrance, we ran into kakeruotsuka and ts_xiv, two photographers and creatives whom we’d talked to online over the years and had also worked on a couple projects together before. We had no idea they’d be there too, and it was great to catch up and hear their thoughts on such a historic occasion. 

“It’s once in a lifetime,” they told us. “Nothing else matters.” 

It was a sentiment we heard countless times as we turned on our cameras and waded through that wonderful sea of blue, hearing dozens of stories from supporters who’d come from Japan and all over the globe.

There seemed to be something sweetly comforting—for everyone there—in hanging out with other kindred souls who’d basically thrown caution to the wind to follow their dreams this summer. A true safe house for the sickos…

🎥: loonatsea by.dolph
✍️: pablobayonas

#worldcup2026 
#japanesefootball 
#nippon
#roadtrip 
#sportsphotography

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 196
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- **Comments:** 3

## Tags

worldcup2026, sportsphotography, japanesefootball, roadtrip, nippon

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