Can Ayase Ueda Be Japan’s No. 9? Why His 25-Goal Season Matters for World Cup 2026

2026年5月19日

Can Ayase Ueda Be Japan’s No. 9? Why His 25-Goal Season Matters for World Cup 2026

Yes, he can be trusted with the shirt if Japan use him for the right jobs. Ayase Ueda has already shown the scoring record required of a World Cup striker. The bigger question is whether he can also be Japan’s reference point when matches become scrappy, direct and short on chances.

That is why he matters so much to Hajime Moriyasu’s squad. Japan do not need Ueda to touch the ball 50 times. They need him to pin center-backs, give the team an outlet, and turn one cross or one loose ball into a goal. His season at Feyenoord says he is capable of that. The 2026 World Cup will test whether he can do it against stronger defenders and under heavier pressure.

Ueda was named in Japan’s official World Cup 2026 squad announced by the JFA on May 15, 2026.
Feyenoord reported on April 25, 2026 that his league tally had reached 25 goals.
Japan’s group stage schedule gives him three very different tests: the Netherlands on June 14, Tunisia on June 20 and Sweden on June 25.
In Japan’s recent matches, he has been used both as a finisher and as the lone striker in a 3-4-2-1 shape.

ここがポイント: Japan do not just need a scorer. They need a No. 9 who can survive long spells without service and still decide the match.

TOC

The clearest answer is at club level

Ueda’s case starts with production, not hype.

Feyenoord’s official report from April 25 says he took his Eredivisie total to 25 goals with a brace against Groningen. That matters because it moves the discussion beyond potential. Japan are taking a striker to the World Cup who has already carried real scoring weight in a European title race and Champions League-qualification chase.

Why the goals matter beyond the raw total

A striker can pile up numbers in one narrow way. Ueda’s appeal is that his scoring looks usable in tournament football.

In Feyenoord’s four-goal win over PEC Zwolle on December 6, 2025, the club highlighted a four-goal performance from Ueda. The original Japanese article points to the variety in that match, and that is the important part: he is not only a box poacher waiting for cut-backs. He can attack crosses, arrive on second balls and finish quickly when the play becomes messy.

For Japan, that profile is valuable because World Cup attacks are rarely clean for 90 minutes. Teams score from:

one well-timed run across a defender
a recycled cross after the first clearance
a set piece
a direct ball that turns into a second phase attack

Ueda’s season suggests he can finish in exactly those situations.

His scoring record did not begin in Rotterdam

There is also a longer track record here.

When Feyenoord signed him in 2023, the club noted that he had scored 47 goals in 103 appearances for Kashima Antlers and 23 goals in 42 matches for Cercle Brugge. That does not guarantee World Cup success, but it does show repeatability. He has kept finding goals after changing leagues, systems and defensive environments.

That is one reason Japan can view him as more than a hot streak striker.

What Japan actually need from him

The easiest mistake is to judge Ueda only on whether he scores.

If Moriyasu uses his familiar 3-4-2-1, the central striker has two jobs at once: finish moves and make the rest of the attack work. Ueda’s role becomes especially important when the players behind him are runners such as Kaoru Mitoma and Junya Ito rather than a second traditional striker.

The first job: give Japan a front reference

Japan’s 1-0 win over England at Wembley on March 31, 2026 is a good example of the framework. JFA’s match report states that Japan used the same 3-4-2-1 shape as in the previous match, with Ueda starting as the lone striker ahead of Mitoma and Ito.

In that setup, the center-forward does not only wait in the box. He has to:

receive direct passes under pressure
occupy both center-backs long enough for the second line to join
turn clearances into recoverable second balls
stop Japan from getting stuck too deep when the opponent dominates territory

That part of the job will define whether he really owns the No. 9 role.

The second job: end the move fast

Japan also need Ueda to be ruthless when service finally arrives.

His recent national-team goals underline why the staff will trust him. In the JFA’s October 10, 2025 match report against Paraguay, Ueda came off the bench in the 89th minute and scored the 2-2 equaliser in stoppage time with a diving header from a Junya Ito cross. Four days later against Brazil, the JFA reported that he completed Japan’s 3-2 comeback by heading in the winner from a corner after first creating danger with a run onto a long ball.

Those two moments matter for different reasons:

against Paraguay, he changed the game with almost no time and very few touches
against Brazil, he combined hold-up work, movement into the box and aerial finishing in one sequence

That is close to the ideal World Cup skill set for Japan.

Why the group-stage opponents sharpen the question

Japan’s official schedule makes the challenge plain. The group stage is:

June 14: Netherlands
June 20: Tunisia
June 25: Sweden

Each match asks something slightly different of Ueda.

Netherlands: can he hold ground against top-level defenders?

This is the most demanding physical and tactical test. Japan may spend long stretches without the ball. If Ueda cannot help the team breathe by holding one direct pass or drawing fouls high up the pitch, Japan risk getting trapped.

A good game from him here may not even require a goal. It may look like six or seven useful duels, one smart layoff, one set-piece chance won, and one clean finish if it comes.

Tunisia: can he decide a low-margin match?

This is the kind of group game that often turns on one chance. Japan may control more territory, but that does not automatically produce space in the box.

This is where Ueda’s near-post movement and quick finishing become central. The No. 9 in this match is not just a target. He is the player asked to make possession mean something.

Sweden: can he turn crosses and set pieces into points?

Sweden bring size and structure. Japan may need a direct route to goal, especially if the match becomes stretched late.

Ueda’s aerial threat and his willingness to attack service early make him a logical focal point here. If Japan are chasing qualification scenarios on the final matchday, that trait becomes even more important.

The Qatar 2022 experience still matters

Ueda is not walking into this tournament cold. He was part of Japan’s 2022 World Cup squad and started against Costa Rica.

That alone does not prove he is ready to lead the line in 2026, but it does change the context. He has already seen how thin the margins are in this competition. Japan beat Germany and Spain in Qatar, but the Costa Rica defeat also exposed the other side of tournament football: if the striker line cannot turn territory into one goal, the whole match can slip away.

This time, Ueda arrives with stronger club evidence behind him. That is the difference.

So, can Japan hand him the No. 9 role?

Yes, with clear conditions.

Japan can trust Ueda as the main No. 9 because he has earned that status through production and role fit. But the trust should be specific, not vague. He is most valuable when Japan ask him to do three concrete things:

pin the last line and create room for runners
attack crosses, second balls and set pieces with conviction
convert low-volume chances without needing a high-touch game

The remaining doubts are real.

Can he stay effective if Japan are pinned deep for long periods?
Can he link cleanly enough with wide creators such as Mitoma and Ito?
Can he hold the spot if Japan want a different type of striker from the bench?

Those are fair questions. They are also better questions than Japan had before, because now they are being asked about a striker who has already reached 25 league goals in the Netherlands.

If Japan are going to make another run beyond the group stage, they will need more than neat buildup and disciplined defending. They will need a forward who can turn one difficult moment into one decisive goal. Ueda has put himself in position to be that player. The World Cup will show whether he can make the role fully his.

参照リンク

Let's share this post !

Copied the URL !

Copied the URL !