2002 FIFA World Cup
The first World Cup in Asia, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th edition of the quadrennial football world championship, held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 in South Korea and Japan. It was the first World Cup held in Asia, the first outside the Americas or Europe, and the first jointly hosted by more than one nation. Brazil won the final against Germany 2–0, becoming the only country to have won the World Cup five times.
Quick Facts
- Manager
- Bora Milutinović
- Group
- G (Italy, Croatia, South Africa)
- Result
- Eliminated in the group stage (3rd place)
- Record
- 1 win
- 0 draws
- 2 losses
- Standout player
- Cuauhtémoc Blanco
- Host nations
- South Korea & Japan
- Tournament year
- 2002
Lore & Background
South Korea and Japan were selected as co-hosts on 31 May 1996, after a bidding process that also included Mexico. The tournament featured several upsets, including defending champions France being eliminated in the group stage without scoring a goal, and Argentina also eliminated in the group stage. South Korea reached the semi-finals, beating Poland, Portugal, Italy and Spain, becoming the first team from outside UEFA, CONMEBOL, and CONCACAF to do so. Turkey also reached the semi-finals for the first time. The match for third place saw Turkey beat South Korea 3–2, scoring the fastest goal in World Cup history (10.8 seconds after kick-off).
Reader's Guide
The tournament used 20 stadia, with South Korea and Japan each providing 10. Groups A–D played all matches in South Korea, Groups E–H in Japan. The defending champions France and co-hosts South Korea and Japan qualified automatically. This was the last World Cup to use the golden goal rule and the last to use the same ball for all matches. It was also the last World Cup in which the defending champions automatically qualified.
Did You Know?
- Four teams made their World Cup debuts: China, Ecuador, Senegal, and Slovenia.
- Senegal was the only debutant to advance from the group stage and reach the quarter-finals.
- This was the first World Cup to feature squads of 23 players, increased from 22.
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