Group A
- DenmarkQualified
- SenegalQualified
- Uruguay
- France
Defending champion France was eliminated without scoring, while Denmark won the group and tournament debutant Senegal advanced after opening with a famous victory over France.
South Korea and Japan · World Cup archive
2002 World Cup Teams, Squads and Players
Held from 31 May to 30 June 2002, the 2002 FIFA World Cup brought together 32 national teams in South Korea and Japan for the first World Cup staged in Asia. Brazil won the tournament after defeating Germany 2–0 in the final, while Turkey and South Korea completed an unexpected final four. This guide covers the teams, groups, standout players, decisive matches and historic squads represented in the 7a0 archive.
HostsSouth Korea · Japan
Dates31 May–30 June
ChampionBrazil
Runner-upGermany
FinalBrazil 2–0 Germany
Tournament teams32
Matches64
Goals161
Venues20 in 20 cities
Top scorerRonaldo · 8
2002 World Cup tournament story
Brazil won all seven matches on the way to the title and defeated Germany 2–0 in Yokohama. Ronaldo scored both goals in the final and finished the tournament with eight. The competition also produced major early exits for defending champion France and pre-tournament favourite Argentina, while South Korea, Turkey, Senegal and the United States all reached the quarterfinals or beyond.
Why the 2002 World Cup still matters
The tournament remains memorable because it combined a dominant Brazilian champion with several breakthrough runs. It was the first World Cup held in Asia, the first jointly hosted edition, Brazil's fifth title, Ronaldo's return to the top of international football and a historic semifinal appearance for South Korea.
All 32 participating nations
2002 World Cup teams by group
Which teams played in the 2002 World Cup? The field was divided into 8 groups of four. Teams below are ordered by their final group position, with the top two advancing.
Group B
- SpainQualified
- ParaguayQualified
- South Africa
- Slovenia
Spain won all three matches and finished first. Paraguay recovered from a difficult start to take second place on goals scored ahead of South Africa.
Group C
- BrazilQualified
- TurkeyQualified
- Costa Rica
- China
Brazil and Turkey both progressed and later met again in the semifinal. Brazil won every group match, while Turkey advanced on goal difference ahead of Costa Rica.
Group D
- South KoreaQualified
- United StatesQualified
- Portugal
- Poland
Co-host South Korea won the group and the United States qualified in second place. Both teams continued deep into the knockout phase, while Portugal and Poland were eliminated.
Group E
- GermanyQualified
- Republic of IrelandQualified
- Cameroon
- Saudi Arabia
Germany opened with an 8–0 victory and topped the group. The Republic of Ireland remained unbeaten and advanced in second place after three resilient performances.
Group F
- SwedenQualified
- EnglandQualified
- Argentina
- Nigeria
The tournament's most discussed group ended with Sweden and England qualifying. Argentina, widely considered one of the favourites, exited after collecting only four points.
Group G
- MexicoQualified
- ItalyQualified
- Croatia
- Ecuador
Mexico won the group unbeaten. Italy advanced in second place after a tense final match, while Croatia and Ecuador were eliminated despite each recording a victory.
Group H
- JapanQualified
- BelgiumQualified
- Russia
- Tunisia
Co-host Japan won the group and reached the knockout stage for the first time. Belgium also advanced without losing a match, finishing two points behind Japan.
Champions, finalists and surprise runs
The teams that defined the 2002 World Cup
Brazil: unbeaten champions
Brazil was the strongest and most consistent side in the tournament. Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho supplied finishing, creativity and movement, while Cafu and Roberto Carlos stretched opponents from the wing-back positions.
Ronaldo scored eight goals, including both goals in the final. Brazil won all seven matches and became the first nation to lift the trophy five times.
Explore the complete Brazil 2002 World Cup squad →Germany: organisation and elite goalkeeping
Germany reached the final through defensive organisation, efficient knockout performances and outstanding goalkeeping from Oliver Kahn. The team conceded only one goal before the final.
Michael Ballack scored decisive goals against the United States and South Korea but missed the final after receiving a suspension-triggering yellow card in the semifinal.
South Korea: a historic host-nation run
South Korea became the first Asian team to reach a World Cup semifinal. The co-host defeated Portugal in the group stage, then eliminated Italy and Spain during a dramatic knockout run.
The campaign changed expectations for Asian teams on the international stage and remains one of the most discussed host-nation performances in tournament history.
Turkey: third place in a breakthrough tournament
Turkey reached the semifinals in only its second World Cup appearance. After losing narrowly to Brazil in the semifinal, the team defeated South Korea in the third-place match.
Hakan Şükür scored 10.8 seconds after kick-off in that match, the fastest goal recorded in World Cup history, as Turkey completed its best tournament finish.
Senegal: debutants who reached the quarterfinals
Senegal announced itself by defeating defending champion France in the opening match. The debutant then advanced from Group A and eliminated Sweden with a golden goal in the round of 16.
The quarterfinal run made Senegal one of the tournament's defining surprise teams.
United States: a return to the last eight
The United States opened by defeating Portugal, advanced from Group D and beat regional rival Mexico in the round of 16.
A narrow quarterfinal defeat to Germany ended the team's deepest World Cup run since the inaugural tournament in 1930.
From the groups to the final
How the 2002 World Cup unfolded
Group stage surprises
France, Argentina and Portugal all failed to advance. Senegal defeated France, the United States beat Portugal, and both host nations reached the knockout phase.
Round of 16
South Korea eliminated Italy in extra time, Senegal defeated Sweden, the United States beat Mexico and the remaining favourites moved into the last eight.
Quarterfinals
Brazil defeated England, Germany edged the United States, Turkey beat Senegal and South Korea advanced against Spain after a penalty shootout.
Semifinals and final
Brazil beat Turkey 1–0 and Germany defeated South Korea by the same score. Ronaldo then scored twice as Brazil won the final 2–0 in Yokohama.
Golden Boot, Golden Ball and decisive performers
Key players from the 2002 World Cup
Ronaldo
Ronaldo completed one of football's best-known comeback stories by scoring eight goals and winning the Golden Shoe. His two goals against Germany decided the final.
Rivaldo
Rivaldo scored five goals and linked midfield with attack. His movement around Ronaldo gave Brazil another consistent scoring and creative threat.
Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho added invention and unpredictability. His long-range free kick against England became one of the competition's defining moments.
Oliver Kahn
Kahn delivered a series of decisive performances and became the first goalkeeper to win the World Cup Golden Ball.
Michael Ballack
Ballack scored winning goals in the quarterfinal and semifinal. His absence from the final was a major tactical and leadership loss for Germany.
Hakan Şükür
Şükür captained Turkey during its best tournament and scored the third-place match opener 10.8 seconds after kick-off.
Selected historic line-ups in the game data
2002 World Cup teams in the 7a0 archive
The tournament had 32 participants. The current 7a0 data set contains 19 selected squads, each with real player names, shirt numbers, positions, ratings and legend markers.
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Cameroon
- Denmark
- England
- France
- Germany
- Republic of Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- Nigeria
- Portugal
- Senegal
- South Korea
- Spain
- Turkey
- Uruguay
- United States
The list above describes current game coverage, not the complete tournament field shown in the group section.
Published squad guides
2002 World Cup squads in 7a0
What made the 2002 tournament distinctive?
The edition remains part of World Cup history for several connected reasons:
- the first World Cup staged in Asia and outside Europe or the Americas
- the first edition jointly hosted by two countries
- World Cup debuts for China, Ecuador, Senegal and Slovenia
- Brazil's fifth championship
- Ronaldo's return as the tournament's leading scorer
- South Korea's first semifinal appearance
- Turkey's best World Cup finish
- a breakthrough quarterfinal run for Senegal
- early eliminations for several traditional favourites
2002 World Cup FAQ
Who won the 2002 World Cup?
Brazil defeated Germany 2–0 in the final and won a record fifth World Cup title. Ronaldo scored both goals.
How many teams played in the 2002 World Cup?
Thirty-two national teams participated across eight groups of four.
Who was the top scorer in 2002?
Ronaldo scored eight goals, including both goals in the final against Germany.
Which teams made their World Cup debut in 2002?
China, Ecuador, Senegal and Slovenia made their first World Cup appearances. Senegal was the only debutant to advance from the group stage and reached the quarterfinals.
Which teams reached the semifinals?
Brazil, Germany, Turkey and South Korea reached the final four.
How many 2002 squads are in the 7a0 archive?
The current data set contains nineteen selected national-team squads from the tournament.
Can I play with the Brazil 2002 squad?
Yes. Open the Brazil 2002 squad guide to review the players, positions and ratings, then launch a 7a0 run with the historic team.
Sources and editorial review
Editorial review: 7a0.online
Last reviewed: 2026-07-26
Tournament facts are checked against the cited records. Game ratings, position eligibility and tactical descriptions remain independent 7a0 editorial values.
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