Manaka Matsukubo Bio
Manaka Matsukubo (松窪 真心, Matsukubo Manaka) is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the Japan national team. Born on 28 July 2004 in Kagoshima, Japan, she rose to prominence with Japan’s youth teams, reaching the final of two FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups and earning the Silver Ball as the second-best player at the 2024 edition. After a record-setting debut NWSL season, she made her senior debut for Japan in 2025.
Matsukubo has become one of the most talked-about young players in women’s soccer, drawing praise from teammates, coaches, and league officials for her composure, vision, and finishing ability well beyond her years.
Early Life and Background
Manaka Matsukubo was born on 28 July 2004 in Kagoshima, the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan. From an early age, she gravitated toward football, a sport that has grown rapidly in popularity among young Japanese girls since the early 2000s. Her hometown has a strong local football culture, and Matsukubo developed her basic skills on community pitches before being identified as a top youth prospect.
At the age of 13, in 2017, she joined the JFA Academy Fukushima, a residential football program operated by the Japan Football Association to develop the country’s most promising young talents. The academy, located in Fukushima Prefecture, combines elite training with academic education and is widely regarded as a proving ground for future national team players.
Path to Soccer
Matsukubo spent five formative years at JFA Academy Fukushima, progressing through the youth ranks and earning caps for Japan’s under-16 side in 2019. Her technical quality and game intelligence quickly distinguished her among her peers, and academy coaches began preparing her for the senior WE League level while she was still a teenager.
She transitioned to Mynavi Sendai of the WE League, Japan’s top-flight women’s football competition, making her professional debut on 5 March 2023. In her rookie season, she logged 1,075 minutes, scored four goals, and added one assist, helping the side finish fourth in the league. Her performances in the WE League and at the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup established her as one of the brightest young players in Japanese football.
Manaka Matsukubo Career
Early Career (2019–2022)
Matsukubo’s competitive career began in earnest with Japan’s U-16 team in 2019, while she was still completing her development at JFA Academy Fukushima. She was a standout for the youth setup, training daily in a high-performance environment and competing against the country’s best young footballers.
By 2022, she had been promoted to the Japan U-20 side and featured in the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, where she scored once as Japan advanced all the way to the final. That same year, she prepared for her senior professional debut with Mynavi Sendai, balancing academy duties with first-team training.
WE League Breakthrough (2023)
In March 2023, Matsukubo made her senior professional debut for Mynavi Sendai in the WE League, becoming one of the youngest players in the division. Across her first full senior season, she played 1,075 minutes, contributed four goals and one assist, and helped the club finish fourth. Her poise and creative play suggested that an even bigger stage was waiting.
Her domestic form quickly attracted international attention. On 27 July 2023, the North Carolina Courage of the NWSL acquired her on loan from Mynavi Sendai through the following June, signaling a rapid move to one of the world’s strongest women’s leagues.
North Carolina Courage Era (2023–Present)
Matsukubo made her NWSL debut on 27 August 2023, starting in a draw against the Chicago Red Stars, and quickly became a fixture in the Courage lineup. On 6 September 2023, she started the NWSL Challenge Cup semifinal against the Kansas City Current, becoming the youngest player to start a game in the tournament. Three days later, she started the final against Racing Louisville, scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory, became the youngest player to score in the competition, and was named MVP of the title game. Head coach Sean Nahas called her a “star in the making” after the final. The following week, she scored her first regular-season goal against the Orlando Pride and later assisted Tyler Lussi’s winner against the Washington Spirit on the final matchday, clinching a playoff berth for the Courage.
On 27 June 2024, the Courage signed Matsukubo permanently through the 2025 season, and on 10 January 2025 the club extended her contract through 2026. In 2024, she chipped Racing Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund from distance for her first goal of the season, earning an NWSL Goal of the Week nomination, and later set up a goal for Aline Gomes and scored the winner against the San Diego Wave to clinch another playoff berth, winning NWSL Goal of the Week for her header off a deflected cross from Ryan Williams.
The 2025 season marked her true breakout. On 17 May, she scored her first NWSL brace in a win over the Chicago Stars and was named NWSL Player of the Week. On 21 June, she assisted Hannah Betfort’s winner against the Houston Dash, becoming the second-youngest NWSL player after Trinity Rodman to record goal contributions in five consecutive regular-season games, totaling four goals and three assists in that stretch. On 17 October, she recorded her first NWSL hat trick in a 4–1 win over Bay FC, becoming the youngest player in league history to achieve the feat, and earned NWSL Player of the Week honors for a second time. She finished 2025 with 11 goals, third in the NWSL, and was named NWSL Midfielder of the Year and NWSL Best XI First Team.
Driving Style and Strengths
Matsukubo is a creative, ball-progressing attacker who combines sharp close control with an eye for goal. She excels at picking up pockets of space between the lines, threading through balls, and finishing with both feet, including composed long-range chips. Her partnership with the Courage staff and her understanding with teammates such as Tyler Lussi, Ryan Williams, and Aline Gomes have helped her produce consistently in a possession-based system.
Notable Events and Milestones
Her most memorable achievements include being named MVP of the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup final, becoming the youngest player to score in that competition, scoring the youngest hat trick in NWSL history in 2025, and earning the Silver Ball at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after scoring in the semifinal against the Netherlands.
Manaka Matsukubo International Career
Matsukubo represented Japan at the 2022 and 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups, reaching the final at both events. In 2024, she scored both goals in a 2–0 semifinal victory over the Netherlands and finished the tournament with three goals, earning the Silver Ball as the second-best player. Earlier in 2024, she also featured at the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup, scoring three goals before returning to her club.
She received her first senior call-up to Japan in October 2024 and made her senior debut on 20 February 2025, entering as a substitute for Maika Hamano in a 4–0 win over Australia at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup. She scored her first senior international goal on 14 March 2026 against the Philippines at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup hosted by Australia.
Manaka Matsukubo Personal Life
Matsukubo stands 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) tall and wears the number 34 for the North Carolina Courage. She comes from Kagoshima, Japan, and trained at the JFA Academy Fukushima during her teenage years.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was the defining campaign of Matsukubo’s young career. She opened her scoring with a brace against the Chicago Stars on 17 May, an early statement of intent that earned her NWSL Player of the Week. Throughout the summer, she delivered a string of decisive performances, including an assist on Hannah Betfort’s winner against the Houston Dash on 21 June, a run that placed her alongside Trinity Rodman in the NWSL record book for consecutive games with goal contributions.
After returning from international duty, she produced one of the highlights of the NWSL season with her hat trick against Bay FC on 17 October, breaking the league’s record as its youngest hat-trick scorer. Her 11 goals across the regular season placed her third in the Golden Boot race and helped the Courage return to the playoffs. She capped the year by being named NWSL Midfielder of the Year and earning a place on the NWSL Best XI First Team.
Looking ahead, Matsukubo remains under contract with the Courage through 2026 and continues to be a central figure for both club and country as Japan builds toward the next Women’s World Cup cycle.