After finishing as Brighton’s top scorer in the 2025/26 WSL season with eight league goals, Kiko Seike has firmly established herself as one of the league’s most exciting players.
Here are five things you need to know about her.
1) She Made WSL History on Her Debut
Seike arrived in Brighton from Japanese side Urawa Reds in July 2024 as a relative unknown to English football fans, but she didn’t stay that way for long.
On her WSL debut against Everton in September 2024, she scored a stunning hat-trick in a 4-0 win. It made her the first player in WSL history to score a hat-trick on their debut.
2) Kiko Seike Was a Dominant Force in Japanese Football
Before arriving in England, Kiko Seike spent 15 years at Urawa Reds, making more than 150 appearances and becoming one of the WE League’s most prolific forwards.
In the 2023/24 season alone, she scored 20 goals to claim the league’s Golden Boot award, also winning the Most Valuable Player prize as Urawa retained the title.
3) She’s a Japanese International
Kiko Seike made her senior international debut in 2019 and has gone on to become a key figure for the national team.
She was part of Japan’s squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics and helped Japan win the Asian Cup earlier in 2026 – their first triumph in the competition since 2018.
4) She’s Committed Her Club Future to Brighton
Seike signed a new contract with Brighton in January 2026.
By that point, she had already scored 11 goals in 37 appearances for the club, playing a key role in Brighton’s fifth-place finish in 2024/25 – their highest ever WSL placing.
5) She Finished in the WSL’s Top 10 Goal Scorers This Season
Seike ended the 2025/26 campaign with eight WSL goals, making her Brighton’s top scorer and the league’s joint seventh deadliest forward this season.
