Maika Hamano (, Hamano Maika, ; born 9 May 2004) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Chelsea and the Japan national team.
Club career Hamano made her WE League debut for INAC Kobe Leonessa on 12 September 2021 in a 5–0 victory over Omiya Ardija Ventus.
On 13 January 2023, Hamano signed for Chelsea and was immediately loaned to Swedish side Hammarby IF. There, she made 17 league appearances and scored 7 goals during the 2023 Damallsvenskan season, before being recalled in September after sustaining a shoulder injury.
After recovering from injury, Hamano made her Women's Super League debut for Chelsea on 17 December 2023 in a 3–0 away win over Bristol City, replacing Lauren James in the second half.
On 4 January 2026, Hamano joined fellow Women's Super League side Tottenham Hotspur on loan for the remainder of the season.
International career In July 2022, Hamano was included in the Japan under-20 team for the 2022 U-20 World Cup, where they finished as runners-up after losing to Spain in the final. She won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player, and the Silver Boot as the second-best goalscorer behind Inma Gabarro.
Hamano made her senior team debut on 6 October 2022, when she came on as a substitute for Mina Tanaka in the 69th minute of a 2–0 friendly win over Nigeria. On 13 June 2023, she was included in Japan's 23-player squad for the 2023 World Cup.
In June 2024, Hamano was included in the Japan squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Hamano was part of the Japan squad that won the 2025 SheBelieves Cup. A year later, she won the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup with Japan, the country's third continental title and first since 2018, scoring the only goal of the match in a 1–0 final victory over Australia.
Career statistics Club
+Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsCerezo Osaka Sakai2018Nadeshiko League100000—102019Nadeshiko League 2432041—1042020Nadeshiko League18632——2182021Nadeshiko League145———145Total37145241—4617INAC Kobe Leonessa2021–22WE League16211——1732022–23WE League411120—72Total2032220—245Chelsea2022–23Women's Super League00000000002023–24Women's Super League62101000822024–25Women's Super League1723131723062025–26Women's Super League41001031822026–27Women's Super League3100—4071Total30641511435311Hammarby IF (loan)2023Damallsvenskan17754——2211Tottenham Hotspur (loan)2025–26Women's Super League8120——101Career total1123118911214315545
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsJapan20221020235020241042025102202684Total3410
Scores and results list Japan's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hamano goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Maika HamanoNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition13 June 2024Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain1–14–1Friendly22–1313 July 2024Kanazawa Stadium, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan2–04–0MS&AD Cup431 July 2024Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France1–03–12024 Summer Olympics520 February 2025Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, Texas, United States3–04–02025 SheBelieves Cup623 February 2025State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona, United States3–14–12025 SheBelieves Cup710 March 2026Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, Australia2–04–02026 AFC Women's Asian Cup818 March 2026Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia2–04–12026 AFC Women's Asian Cup921 March 2026Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia1–01–02026 AFC Women's Asian Cup1015 April 2026Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington, United States1–01–0Friendly
Honours INAC Kobe Leonessa WE League: 2021–22
Hammarby IF Swedish Cup: 2022–23
Chelsea Women's Super League: 2023–24, 2024–25 Women's FA Cup: 2024–25 Women's League Cup: 2024–25
Japan U16 AFC U-16 Women's Championship: 2019
Japan AFC Women's Asian Cup: 2026 SheBelieves Cup: 2025
Individual AFC U-16 Women's Championship top scorer: 2019 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Golden Ball: 2022 AFC Asian International Player of the Year: 2025 AFC Youth Player of the Year: 2022 FIFPRO Asia/Oceania Team of the Tournament: Australia 2026
References
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