Mana Iwabuchi is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward or attacking midfielder. She was most recently with Arsenal and has previously played for Aston Villa, Bayern Munich, 1899 Hoffenheim, and Tottenham Hotspur. She has also represented the Japan national team.

The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup final was an association football match that took place on 17 July 2011 at Commerzbank-Arena, in Frankfurt, Germany, to determine the winner of 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. It was played between Japan and the United States. Japan won 3–1 in a penalty shoot-out following a 2–2 draw after extra time, becoming the first Asian team to win a senior—either men's or women's—World Cup final. Japan's victory was a major upset, made even more meaningful for the country as Japan was still feeling the effects of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 15,000 people prior to the tournament.