The story behind Spurs' Japanese Sensation, Tōko Koga

From Japan to England, and taking the Barclays WSL by storm in her breakout season

As the clock ticked into the 92nd minute at the Amex, Tottenham Hotspur's Tōko Koga found herself 40-odd yards from goal and with the ball at her feet. Sophie Baggaley had rushed out of the Brighton goal to make a clearance only for it to fall straight into the path of the Japan international who had not yet returned to her more traditional position in the Spurs' back-line. Despite the signal from Bethany England to pass out wide, the young defender took one glance to see that Baggaley was stranded before looping a long-range effort home, her teammates beside her celebrating before the ball had even crossed the line. It was an audacious strike, the perfect way to cap off a breakout first season in the Barclays WSL.

For a player who admits that she moved from forward to defender as a youngster because she "often missed the goals", this finish was certainly not lacking in confidence. It was a fitting end to Spurs' season who, even before a final day comeback win over Brighton, had cemented fifth place and recorded their best ever Barclays WSL points haul.

Koga has been at the very heart of the success of Martin Ho's side, a near ever-present figure in central defence. The 20-year-old played nearly every minute of her 19 league starts (1,706 minutes in total) in her first year in England, forming a strong partnership alongside Clare Hunt and impressing with her calmness, game intelligence and composure on the ball.

"I'm so grateful," she reflects. "I'm so happy that I was able to get such remarkable scores and to have been able to achieve so much. It was great for the team and it was brilliant personally as well... I feel that I was able to contribute so I'm really happy."

Koga's rise to the top of the women's game has been a rapid one. Born in Osaka, she started playing at the age of six having been influenced by her older brother. She was selected by the Japanese Football Association Academy Fukushima and moved to Shizuoka at 12 years old to continue her development, making her transition to a defender.

"It didn't really matter to me which position I was entrusted to be in because I simply loved playing football. When I was in primary school, I was assigned to be a forward and I didn't make goals very often," she laughs. "In hindsight, I should have been in the back from the beginning."

Koga's ambitious nature shines through immediately in conversation. A move to Europe came at 18 when Koga signed a contract with Dutch side Feyenoord. She would stay there for the next year and a half, making 32 appearances in the Vrouwen Eredivisie. The aim, however, was always to come to England and challenge herself against the world’s best.

"I was determined to spend my time in the Netherlands as a preparation period to play in England and to get accustomed to playing with and against players who are physically stronger than me," she states.

"There was an opportunity to play against Tottenham (in a pre-match friendly) when I was at Feyenoord," she continues. "During that match, Tottenham were observing my performance and I was confident that it was going to be a very comfortable environment for me to play. It was my ambition to play in England because it's the world scale top level league."

Her move to North London came last July. She became Spurs’ first summer signing following a turbulent campaign that had seen them finish 11th and part ways with head coach Robert Vilahamn. Martin Ho was named as his replacement on the same day, a clear sign of the new direction the club was heading in.

"Since having a new manager and new players, my impression is that Tottenham's approach to football has become clearer," Koga says. "Everybody is proceeding to achieve that clear ambition and goal, which is similar to what the Japan national team is trying to achieve. [By that] I mean the attention to detail. What is required of me as a player is something I can resonate with which [makes it] easy for me to play in the environment."

"Martin's specific style is to keep the ball and to get the keeper to pass the ball from behind," she continues. "It's something I find that I have strength in so I feel I'm able to contribute to the team. I still have lots of challenges that I need to overcome but Martin still uses me to play on the pitch which means that I have acquired a certain trust from him. I'm really grateful to him."

Adapting to a new country and new team would be difficult for many, especially those as young as Koga, but she seems to have taken it all in her stride. It is easy to see how she has settled in seamlessly, driven yet affable with an infectious sense of humour.

"All my teammates are so kind and I'm in an environment which is easy to live in," she says. "My only hope is that the weather is going to improve a little bit."

The 20-year-old's success is not limited to domestic football. She has caught the eye equally on the international stage since making her Japan debut against the USA at the SheBelieves Cup in 2024. She was subsequently included in the Nadeshiko squad that finished fifth at the 2024 Olympics, the youngest participant in the tournament.

Japanese women's football has been undergoing a rebuild in recent years and this resurgence came to the fore in 2026 as they became Asian Cup champions in March, securing a place at next year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. Koga was integral to their success in Australia, starting four of their six games and scoring twice against the Philippines to help send her side through to the semi-finals.

"Throughout the tournament, I was able to perform my specialty and strength which was great," she reflects. "There are many heavy hitters from Australia who are playing in England as well. However, I didn't have any fears to play against them. I was able to deliver my own performance... It made me really happy."

She is joined in England by many of her compatriots with 16 currently playing in the Barclays WSL which has helped with the settling in process.

"Apart from playing football, it's so nice to hang out with them," she says with a smile. "On the other hand, I get remorseful when my fellow Japanese players make goals against my team so I really don't want them to be really successful on the pitch."

A summer off awaits after a whirlwind couple of years. Koga aims to go home to Japan to for some rest before preparations for next season begin, a campaign for which she has lofty goals. "I really want to get into top three," she states. "I'd like to get myself ready and prepare accordingly so that we can win over Chelsea and Arsenal and such teams." From her remarkable journey so far, there should be little doubt about how serious she is about that mission.

Word Credit: Sophie Downey