The Nippon Foundation Spogomi World Cup 2027: An Environmental Sports Festival Where Representatives from Around the World Compete

The Nippon Foundation Spogomi Federation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Masanori Tamazawa; hereinafter "Nippon Foundation Spogomi Federation") is pleased to announce the hosting of the "Nippon Foundation Spogomi World Cup 2027." Spogomi's characteristic of directly linking the enjoyment of sports to environmental action has been highly evaluated. With each successive event, the number of participating countries has steadily increased, indicating its growing reach both domestically and internationally. For the 2027 tournament, qualifying tournaments will be held sequentially in various countries worldwide starting from late July 2026 to select representative teams. **Global Participation Expands, Momentum Builds for Third World Cup** As Spogomi, which originated in Japan, enters its 18th year in 2026, we have decided to host the third "Nippon Foundation Spogomi World Cup 2027." Under the philosophy of "Litter cleanup is a sport!", Spogomi has become popular as an initiative where people take responsibility for the environmental beautification of their own towns with their sweat and passion, rather than leaving it to others, steadily increasing the number of "Spogomi athletes" both in Japan and abroad. The expansion of its fanbase is attributed to Spogomi's unique competitive and enjoyable style, which is accelerating the movement to create environmental action across generations and borders. We are hosting the "Nippon Foundation Spogomi World Cup 2027" to further develop this movement both domestically and internationally. **Schedule until Qualifying Tournaments and FINAL** Qualifying tournaments to determine national representatives will begin around late July 2026. In Japan, qualifying tournaments and an All-Japan tournament will be held in all 47 prefectures, and internationally, qualifying tournaments will be held in over 35 countries across 6 major continents. The FINAL to decide the Spogomi world champion is scheduled for around October 2027 (FINAL venue is yet to be determined). *The number of participants is not yet finalized. **[Tournament Overview]** Organizers: The Nippon Foundation Spogomi Federation, local organizers in Japan and abroad Grant: The Nippon Foundation Detailed information on qualifying tournaments in each prefecture will be announced by local organizers. Competing as representatives of their countries during the competition, and praising each other once it's over—this spirit fostered by sports is the value that the Nippon Foundation Spogomi World Cup cherishes. We will deliver this international tournament, where representatives from various countries gather and engage in serious competition on the stage of everyday towns where people live, to the world as a peaceful and positive sports festival. **** General Incorporated Foundation The Nippon Foundation Spogomi Federation We promote the popularization, promotion, and awareness of litter cleanup activities, viewing them as a sport where participants compete and sweat while picking up litter. Through this, we contribute to building healthy bodies, encouraging changes in awareness and behavior regarding litter among children and adults, and creating clean and livable communities. Furthermore, by realizing the fusion of sports and environment and proposing new attractions of sports, we aim to contribute to the development of the Japanese sports world. https://nf-spogomiwc.com/ **■ About The Nippon Foundation** Together with pain, hope, and the future. Since its establishment in 1962 as Japan's largest foundation, The Nippon Foundation has been promoting activities in a wide range of fields, including children, people with disabilities, disaster relief, ocean affairs, and humanitarian aid, across races and borders, funded by grants from boat race sales. https://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/ *The "Nippon Foundation Spogomi World Cup 2027" is a grant project of The Nippon Foundation.