Credit: Tung Manh Phan

Richie Mills

Wed 11 March 2026 18:10, UK

West Ham United Women star Riko Ueki is on course to secure the Golden Boot after another goal for Japan at the 2026 Asian Cup.

Ueki was an unused substitute for Japan in their tournament opener on 4 March in a 2-0 win over Chinese Taipei.

And the 26-year-old was also among the substitutes for their group-stage clash with India three days later, before making a stunning impact off the bench.

In Japan’s 11-0 rout, Ueki came on at half-time, when they were already 5-0 up, before scoring a hat-trick in the space of 18 minutes.

That treble earned the forward her first start of the tournament, with West Ham ace Ueki opening the scoring in a 4-0 win over Vietnam on Tuesday as Japan topped the group with three wins from three.

Riko Ueki leads the way at Asian Cup

When Ueki came on at half-time against India, she may have had a point to prove. One-and-a-half games into the tournament, Ueki hadn’t kicked a ball in anger.

But within five minutes of coming on against India, she bagged herself a brace. The first was a brilliant flick with the outside of the boot from Maya Hijikata’s teasing cross, before curling in a shot from the edge of the area.

Ueki showed her poacher’s instincts to ghost in front of the India defence and fire in a diving header at Perth Rectangular Stadium to complete her hat-trick.

Japan head coach Nils Nielsen handed Ueki a starting role against Vietnam and she didn’t disappoint.

She guided in a lovely cushioned header from Yui Hasegawa’s dangerous cross to put her joint top of this year’s Asian Cup scoring charts.

Heading into the quarter-finals, she is joint top scorer (four) with compatriot Kiko Seike, and Australia’s Alanna Kennedy and North Korea’s Myong Yu-jong.

While they have been first-team starters so far, Ueki has the best goal-to-minute ratio in the competition. A total of four goals in under 100 minutes is no mean feat. At this rate, she could claim the golden boot as she aims for a personal bit of history.

What’s next for West Ham’s Ueki?

Ueki was last in action for West Ham in an FA Cup loss to Brighton last month but now she is focusing on guiding Japan to Asian Cup glory.

Japan have only won this tournament twice, in what is the 21st edition of this event, with the world’s eighth-best-ranked nation beating Australia in the 2014 and 2018 finals.

Next up, Japan take on the Philippines in Sydney on Sunday, with the winner facing South Korea or Uzbekistan in the last four.

From a West Ham perspective, now that Japan have reached the knockout stages, Ueki is unlikely to play for the east London outfit again until 29 March at home to London City Lionesses.

Even if Japan lose in the last eight, they still have to play in a play-off match on 19 March, with their semi-final scheduled for a day earlier.

The final takes place on 21 March, ruling her out of West Ham’s upcoming WSL matches against Manchester United on 18 March, along with a trip to Arsenal three days later.

West Ham are just two points above the relegation zone. The Hammers will hope Ueki comes back injury-free, before firing them up the table soon.