Ayase Ueda at FIFA World Cup 2026
Feyenoord
Primary
Striker
Others
Forward
Ayase Ueda gives Japan a more traditional penalty-box reference in the 2026 cycle because his game is built on movement, timing, and finishing rather than constant drifting away from goal.
The Feyenoord striker enters the tournament picture with a stronger European platform, a growing international scoring record, and a clearer case to lead the line for Japan.
Quick Answer
Ayase Ueda is a 27-year-old Japan forward for Feyenoord.
He is primarily used as a striker, with cover across forward.
His current club contract runs through June 2028.
His reported weekly salary is Terms under review, and his estimated net worth is Financial analysis pending.
Team Overview
Ueda matters because Japan still need a striker who can turn controlled buildup into real end product inside the box.
He gives the side central depth, sharper near-post movement, and a more natural finishing profile than some of the wider or pressing-based attackers around him.
Early Life and Background
Ueda was born in Mito, Ibaraki, and came through Yoshidagaoka SSS, Kashima Antlers' academy structure, Kashima Gakuen High School, and then Hosei University before turning fully professional.
That route mattered because university football gave him time to refine his finishing and movement before he arrived in the J.League as a more complete striker than many players of the same age.
Ayase Ueda Personal Info and Profile
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ayase Ueda |
| Date of birth | 28 August 1998 |
| Age | 27 |
| Nationality | Japan |
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11.5 in) |
| Weight | 76 kg |
| Position | Striker |
| Preferred foot | Right |
| Current club | Feyenoord |
| Contract end | June 2028 |
| Transfer value | €15M |
| Jersey number | 9 |
| Weekly salary | Terms under review |
| Estimated net worth | Financial analysis pending |
Ayase Ueda Club Career
Kashima Antlers gave Ueda his professional platform, and across three seasons he scored 47 goals in 103 appearances before earning a move to Europe.
Cercle Brugge signed him in 2022, and he delivered quickly with 23 goals in 42 matches, proving that his box movement and finishing could translate outside Japan.
That season in Belgium was the bridge between his domestic scoring profile and a bigger move into Dutch football.
Feyenoord signed Ueda in August 2023 on a five-year contract through June 2028 for a reported €8 million fee and handed him the number 9 shirt.
His first season brought the KNVB Cup, and he added the Johan Cruyff Shield at the start of 2024/25 before injury disrupted part of that campaign.
By December 2025 he had hit one of the hottest scoring runs of his career, including four goals against PEC Zwolle, which underlined why Feyenoord kept backing him as their central striker.
Ayase Ueda - Stats and Performance
| Season | Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2022 | Kashima Antlers | All competitions | 103 | 47 |
| 2022-2023 | Cercle Brugge | All competitions | 42 | 23 |
| 2023-26 | Feyenoord | All competitions | Subject to confirmation | Subject to confirmation |
| Career Total | Senior club football | 145+ | 70+ |
Ueda's numbers make most sense when read through the lens of finishing rhythm, because his value rises sharply when a team feeds him early and often in the box.
International Career
Ueda made his senior Japan debut in 2019 and has reached 38 caps with 16 goals in the current cycle, which keeps him among the strongest scoring options in the national pool.
He was part of Japan's 2022 World Cup squad and has since become a more mature striker with better European experience and a broader scoring record.
| National team | Caps | Goals | Tournament involvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan U20 | 2017 | 3 | 2 |
| Japan U21 | 2018 | 4 | 0 |
| Japan U22 | 2019 | 3 | 6 |
| Japan U23 | 2018-2021 | 17 | 10 |
| Japan | 2019– | 38 | 16 |
Honours and Trophies
Transfer News and Market Value
The main 2026 Ueda story is not a fresh transfer but whether his stronger scoring form can fully cement him as Feyenoord's uncontested lead striker.
That is also what matters most for Japan, because regular scoring in Rotterdam directly strengthens his World Cup case.
Ayase Ueda Salary and Net Worth
Ayase Ueda's Feyenoord contract and transfer fee are publicly clear, but a clean and consistently available public weekly wage figure is not fully visible across major salary trackers without subscription locks.
Because of that, the salary line stays cautious here. The firmer public markers are his deal through June 2028, the reported €8 million transfer from Cercle Brugge, and his current €15M market value in the 2026 cycle.
Ayase Ueda 2026 Style, Strengths, and Tournament Outlook
Ueda's biggest tournament strength is that he offers Japan a real specialist in central finishing rather than a converted wide attacker.
The challenge is sustaining his best scoring rhythm against stronger defences that allow fewer repeated box touches.
Even so, he remains one of Japan's clearest striker options for the 2026 World Cup.
