2002 FIFA World Cup facts for kids
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | South Korea Japan |
| Dates | May 31 – June 30 |
| Teams | 32 (from 5 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 20 (in 20 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Brazil (5th title) |
| Runners-up |  Germany |
| Third place |  Turkey |
| Fourth place |  South Korea |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 64 |
| Goals scored | 145 (2.27 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Ronaldo (8 goals) |
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was a huge international football tournament. It took place in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30, 2002. This was the first time the World Cup was held in Asia, and also the first time it was hosted by two countries at once!
Thirty-two teams from all over the world competed to win the famous trophy. In the exciting final match, Brazil played against Germany. Brazil won the game 2-0, becoming champions for the fifth time. The final was held at the International Stadium in Yokohama, with 69,029 fans watching.
Contents
Teams That Played
Countries from Around the World
Teams from five different parts of the world, called confederations, took part in the 2002 World Cup. These included countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and Central America, and South America. Each team had to play special qualifying games to earn their spot in the tournament.
- Africa: Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
- Asia: China PR, Japan (hosts), South Korea (hosts), Saudi Arabia
- Europe: Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey
- North and Central America: Costa Rica, Mexico, United States
- South America: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
How the Tournament Worked
Group Stage: The First Round
The 32 teams were first divided into eight groups, from Group A to Group H. Each group had four teams. In this stage, every team in a group played against each other once. Teams earned points for their games:
- 3 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw (a tie)
- 0 points for a loss
After all the games in a group were played, the two teams with the most points from each group moved on to the next part of the tournament. This was called the "knockout stage."
Knockout Stage: Win or Go Home
The knockout stage was very exciting because if a team lost, they were out of the tournament! This part of the World Cup started with 16 teams. They played single-elimination matches, meaning the winner moved on and the loser went home.
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 15 June - Seogwipo | ||||||||||||||
| Germany |
1 | |||||||||||||
| 21 June - Ulsan | ||||||||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Paraguay |
0 | |||||||||||||
| Germany |
1 | |||||||||||||
| 17 June - Jeonju | ||||||||||||||
 United States |
0 | |||||||||||||
 Mexico |
0 | |||||||||||||
| 25 June - Seoul | ||||||||||||||
| United States |
2 | |||||||||||||
| Germany |
1 | |||||||||||||
| 16 June - Suwon | ||||||||||||||
| South Korea |
0 | |||||||||||||
 Spain (pen.) |
1 (3) | |||||||||||||
| 22 June - Gwangju | ||||||||||||||
 Republic of Ireland |
1 (2) | |||||||||||||
| Spain |
0 (3) | |||||||||||||
| 18 June - Daejeon | ||||||||||||||
| South Korea (pen.) |
0 (5) | |||||||||||||
| South Korea (aet) |
2 | |||||||||||||
| 30 June - Yokohama | ||||||||||||||
 Italy |
1 | |||||||||||||
| Germany |
0 | |||||||||||||
| 15 June - Niigata | ||||||||||||||
| Brazil |
2 | |||||||||||||
 Denmark |
0 | |||||||||||||
| 21 June - Shizuoka | ||||||||||||||
 England |
3 | |||||||||||||
| England |
1 | |||||||||||||
| 17 June - Kobe | ||||||||||||||
| Brazil |
2 | |||||||||||||
| Brazil |
2 | |||||||||||||
| 26 June - Saitama | ||||||||||||||
 Belgium |
0 | |||||||||||||
| Brazil |
1 | |||||||||||||
| 16 June - Ōita | ||||||||||||||
| Turkey |
0 | Third place | ||||||||||||
 Sweden |
1 | |||||||||||||
| 22 June - Osaka | 29 June - Daegu | |||||||||||||
 Senegal (aet) |
2 | |||||||||||||
| Senegal |
0 | South Korea |
2 | |||||||||||
| 18 June - Miyagi | ||||||||||||||
| Turkey (aet) |
1 | Turkey |
3 | |||||||||||
 Japan |
0 | |||||||||||||
| Turkey |
1 | |||||||||||||
The teams played through the Round of 16, Quarter-finals, and Semi-finals. The two teams that won their Semi-final matches went on to play in the Final. The two teams that lost in the Semi-finals played each other for third place.
Third Place Play-off
On June 29, 2002, South Korea played against Turkey for third place.
| 29 June 2002 20:00 |
South Korea |
2-3 | Turkey |
Daegu World Cup Stadium, Daegu |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Lee Eul-yong  9'Song Chong-gug 90+3' |
Hakan Ş. 1' İlhan 13', 32' |
Turkey won this match 3-2, earning them the third-place medal.
The Grand Final
The final match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup was played on June 30, 2002, between Germany and Brazil.
| 30 June 2002 20:00 |
Germany |
0-2 | Brazil |
International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronaldo 67', 79' |
Brazil won the game 2-0, with both goals scored by their star player, Ronaldo. This victory made Brazil the first country to win five World Cup titles!
Top Goal Scorers
A total of 145 goals were scored during the 2002 World Cup. The player who scored the most goals in the tournament was Ronaldo from Brazil, with 8 goals.
Other players who scored many goals included:
- 3 goals: Miroslav Klose (Germany)
- 2 goals: John Dahl Tomasson (Denmark)
Many other players scored one goal each, helping their teams compete in this exciting global event.
Images for kids
-
Korean Air Boeing 747 adorned with 2002 World Cup livery marking South Korea as co-hosts
-
Japanese 10,000 yen coin for the 2002 FIFA World Cup
-
Countries qualified for the World Cup Country did not qualify Countries that did not enter the World Cup Country not a FIFA member
-
Ato, Kaz and Nik were the 2002 World Cup mascots.
-
South Koreans watching their country playing in a knock out game on the big screens in Seoul Plaza
-
In Search of Fresh Air. Banner by Ray L. Burggraf.
See also
In Spanish: Copa Mundial de Fútbol de 2002 para niños
