The JFA Mid-Term Plan for 2023-2026Japan Football Hall of Fame
JFA Hall of Fame Inductee
SAWA Homare
Special Selection: 22nd Japan Football Hall of Fame in 2026
- Born in Tokyo on 6 September 1978
SAWA Homare started playing football competitively with the Furoku Soccer Club in second grade. In 1991, when she started junior high school, she joined Yomiuri Beleza (now Nippon TV Beleza), one of the top teams in the Japan Women’s Football League. She made her league debut in July of that year, playing in 15 matches and helping the team win the championship. She continued to play a key role in the team's success thereafter.
In 2011, she transferred to INAC Kobe Leonessa, playing for the team until her retirement from professional football in 2015.
During this time, she helped the team to win numerous titles, including 10 Japan Women's Football League championships and 11 Empress's Cup JFA All-Japan Women's Soccer Championship victories.
She first joined the Japanese national women's team at the age of 15, scoring four goals on her international debut. While still a teenager, she competed in the 1995 World Cup and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She went on to play a pivotal role in the team, achieving a distinguished record on the international stage, including appearances in six consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup and four Olympic Games. As of 2026, her record of 205 appearances in international A matches and 83 goals remains unmatched by any other player, whether male or female.
During the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, she captained the team and played a pivotal role in their historic victory. She scored five goals and provided one assist during the tournament, becoming the first Japanese player to win both the top scorer and Golden Ball (Best Player of the Tournament) awards. Furthermore, that season she became the first Asian player to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
At the 2012 London Olympics, she helped the team secure the silver medal — the first ever won by a Japanese football team, male or female. In 2015, in her final year as a professional player, she helped her team reach the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup.
