Despite the Weak Yen, Bookings for High-Priced Tours Are Flooding In! Why Overseas Sports Travel Is Booming Right Now

Rush to the World Cup Despite a Weak Yen and Rising Prices

With the yen at a historic low and prices on the rise, overseas travel is becoming increasingly out of reach for many Japanese. Yet, at this year’s (2026) FIFA World Cup in North America, many soccer fans from Japan made the trip to watch the matches in person.

With match tickets alone costing around 100,000 yen per person—and total expenses reaching several hundred thousand yen when airfare, hotels, and meals are added—some people reported spending “over 1 million yen in a week” at the North American tournament, where prices are far higher than in Japan.Many fans shared stories that conveyed their enthusiasm for watching the games in person, such as “I’ve been saving up for four years,” “I used my accumulated frequent flyer miles for the flight,” and “I’m cooking my own meals at an Airbnb to save on travel expenses.”

It is also a long-standing tradition for overseas club teams to visit Japan every year to play international friendly matches against J.League teams. This past summer, Borussia Dortmund (BVB), a powerhouse of the German Bundesliga, visited Japan, drawing large crowds of Japanese fans to matches in Tokyo and Osaka—a clear sign that the popularity of overseas sports remains strong.

Fans Go Wild Over Visiting Foreign Clubs

This was Borussia Dortmund’s second visit to Japan since 2024. The club is known for the outstanding performance of former Japanese national team player Shinji Kagawa (currently with Cerezo Osaka), who helped the team win the league title. Among Japanese players, 19-year-old Tensho Yamamoto is currently on loan from Gamba Osaka.

During this visit, the team played international friendly matches against Cerezo Osaka in Osaka and FC Tokyo in Tokyo, drawing crowds of 19,886 in Osaka and 32,489 in Tokyo. At the National Stadium (MUFG Stadium) in Tokyo, long lines formed at the Dortmund merchandise booths, and some items sold out.Wearing jerseys (14,850 yen) and scarf towels (2,500 yen), fans decked out in Dortmund’s yellow and black colors cheered on the world-class play from the stands.

Furthermore, outside the stadium, there were free giveaways of Dortmund-themed fans and headbands, as well as a free autograph session with legendary players. After the match, fans were treated to additional fan service, such as players signing autographs over the barriers and tossing merchandise into the stands.

The Reason Behind the Rapid Rise in Popularity of Foreign Soccer

The popularity of international soccer in Japan has been on the rise in recent years. The primary reason for this is the success of Japanese players in European leagues.

In particular, the English Premier League—where players like Kaoru Mitoma and Wataru Endo play—and the Bundesliga, home to many Japanese players such as Ritsu Doan and Kaishu Sano, are especially popular.In addition, traditional powerhouses such as Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Spain, and Paris Saint-Germain FC in France, enjoy enduring popularity.

The widespread adoption of real-time viewing via video streaming services has also played a major role. Major matches can be easily watched in real time on smartphones, tablets, and other devices.

“Supporting Your Favorite Team”: A Focus for the German National Tourist Board

The German National Tourist Board is focusing on the travel demand arising from the desire to “cheer them on in person” as fans support Japanese players active overseas.According to Akira Nishiyama, Director of the Japan Branch, when the agency exhibited at a travel event held in Tokyo in the fall of ’25, someone approached their booth asking, “I want to go to Mainz.” As Nishiyama began to explain tourism in Mainz, the person revealed, “I’m a fan of Kaishu Sano,” and added, “I’d like to watch a match there in person someday.”

The German National Tourist Board has long used “Germany: The Land of Soccer” as its theme, having previously run promotional campaigns for events such as the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.For this event, as part of Borussia Dortmund’s Japan tour, the agency formed its first-ever branding partnership with a Bundesliga club. In addition to screening promotional videos about German tourism inside the stadium, the agency organized a special talk show featuring a former German national team goalkeeper and a projection mapping display at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

Director Nishiyama stated, “Currently, many Japanese players are active in the Bundesliga and other European leagues, and soccer has become a sport as popular as baseball in Japan. Furthermore, Germany is widely recognized as one of the countries that has played a major role in the development of soccer in Japan.”

The German National Tourist Board has adopted a global strategy of “establishing connections with and generating demand among new segments of travelers who have never visited Germany before.” Through this Japan tour, the organization aims not only to convey the appeal of German soccer to soccer fans but also to increase interest in Germany as a travel destination.

Spectator tours that sell even at high prices

In recent years, it has become common in the J.League for fans to travel overseas to support their players and teams. In the ACLE (AFC Champions League Elite), where Asian club teams compete, it is not uncommon for fans to travel as far as South Korea, Thailand, and even the Middle East.In June 2025, when the Urawa Reds competed in the FIFA Club World Cup, a total of 5,000 fans traveled all the way to Seattle, Washington, and the stadium was literally “drenched” in the Reds’ red, becoming a hot topic even locally.

Travel agencies are taking note of this trend among passionate soccer fans. They are focusing their efforts on stimulating demand for “experiential tourism,” such as overseas sports viewing and experiential tours.

According to HIS, a major travel agency, the company began focusing on its sports business about 15 years ago and now arranges on-site viewing tours and tickets for soccer, baseball, Formula 1, marathons, tennis, and other events.Furthermore, as the official regional partner of Premier League powerhouse “Tottenham Hotspur,” the company sells tours that include meet-and-greet events with players. It has also entered into a glocal partnership agreement with the B.LEAGUE, promoting not only official tours within Japan but also tours for inbound tourists from overseas.

We now live in an era where people can arrange everything themselves online—from airline tickets and hotels to event tickets.However, HIS is exploring “what only a travel agency can do.” By leveraging the advantage of having offices worldwide, the company focuses on adding “added value” by planning tours to countries and regions with security concerns, as well as tours that include opportunities to meet players or be accompanied by celebrities.

Furthermore, precisely because of the weak yen and high inflation, there is definitely a segment of travelers who deliberately choose higher-priced package tours to avoid the risk of trouble associated with independent travel and to purchase reliability and safety.

In fact, the on-site match-viewing tour led by “Prechan,” a YouTuber and Premier League fan, costs several hundred thousand yen—more than a typical tour—yet in its inaugural year of 2023, the 20 spots filled in just two days, and applications eventually totaled nearly 200 (the capacity was expanded to 90).

Watching Games Live Is the Driving Force Behind “Supporting Your Favorite”

Survey data on “supporting your favorite” in sports is intriguing. According to a survey conducted by Neo Marketing Co., Ltd., which provides marketing support services focused on consumers, approximately 30% of respondents support a specific individual, while about 70% also support the team their favorite belongs to.

According to the survey on sports “fandom activities”—which focused solely on domestic sports—the most common reason for becoming a fan was “watching a game on TV or a screen (63.3%)”followed by “watching a game live at the venue (32.7%)”; among those in their 20s and 30s, the percentage of respondents who said “it appeared as a recommendation on a video streaming site (23.4%)” was higher than in other age groups.

Although this survey focused on domestic sports, it is noteworthy that “watching live at the stadium” serves as a powerful driving force behind fan activities. For fans who have experienced the excitement of a live game at the stadium even once, taking the next step toward “watching live games overseas” is a natural progression.

When it comes to watching sports overseas, the first hurdle is “traveling abroad.”Furthermore, not only is it difficult to secure travel dates, but travel costs are now more burdensome than they were before the pandemic or during periods of a strong yen. Nevertheless, as seen during the recent soccer World Cup, fans possess the potential—and the determination—to “spend on travel for their favorite team,” saving money in their daily lives to cover match-viewing expenses and merchandise purchases when the opportunity arises.

People travel not just to visit tourist spots, but because they have a specific purpose they’re passionate about. Tourism bureaus and travel agencies are taking note of the importance of “experiential value”—the kind of experience that can only be had on-site.