Ayase Ueda, 27, has emerged at the 2026 World Cup as one of Japan’s hottest strikers after starring in a 4-0 win over Tunisia. He scored once, set up Junya Ito, then completed a brace with a header, yet reacted with trademark calm rather than celebration. Japan next meet Sweden, and a draw would be enough to advance, possibly even as group winners.
Ueda’s story is unusual for a top European forward. Born in Mito and raised in a small, forested village in Ibaraki with his parents and two older sisters, he says football was inspired by his father, who played in a local amateur team. He once admitted, “At first I didn’t really like football,” but a goal in a friendly at age six changed everything. “Since then I have lived for goals,” he said, adding that he could never have been a defender or midfielder.
Instead of a traditional academy route, Ueda chose university football, studying sports science at Hosei University near Tokyo because of its strong team. Kashima Antlers signed him after graduation, and over four seasons he became one of Japan’s best strikers, twice finishing as the club’s top scorer. A move to Europe followed via Cercle Brugge, where he scored 23 goals in one season and attracted Feyenoord, which paid 8 million euros for him.
At Feyenoord, Ueda initially lived in the shadow of Santiago Giménez and was also slowed by muscle injuries that cost him more than three months in the 2024/25 season. Once Giménez left, everything changed. Ueda finished the 2025/26 Eredivisie season with 26 goals in 38 matches, including 25 in the league, eight more than runner-up Mika Godts, and by December he led all of Europe’s top leagues with 18 goals, ahead of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. Reports in Japan now say a bigger club could sign him after the World Cup.
