TOURNAMENT LEGACY
Brazil claimed their fifth World Cup title, defeating Germany 2-0 in the final, with goals from Ronaldo. This was the first World Cup hosted by two countries and the first held in Asia. The tournament saw several surprises, including South Korea reaching the semi-finals (beating Italy and Spain in controversial matches) and Turkey finishing third in their first appearance since 1954. Ronaldo, who overcame a series of injuries, scored 8 goals to win the Golden Boot and was named in the All-Star Team. The format remained 32 teams with 8 groups of 4 followed by a knockout stage. This was the first World Cup to use goal-line technology in some matches and the last to feature the golden goal rule (used in South Korea's win over Italy). The mascots were 'Ato', 'Kaz', and 'Nik', three alien creatures representing teamwork and friendship.
TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Memorable Moments & Key Information
Main Venues
Seoul World Cup Stadium (Seoul, South Korea)
Suwon World Cup Stadium (Suwon, South Korea)
Daegu World Cup Stadium (Daegu, South Korea)
Busan Asiad Main Stadium (Busan, South Korea)
Gwangju World Cup Stadium (Gwangju, South Korea)
Daejeon World Cup Stadium (Daejeon, South Korea)
Incheon Munhak Stadium (Incheon, South Korea)
Saitama Stadium 2002 (Saitama, Japan)
International Stadium Yokohama (Yokohama, Japan)
Nagai Stadium (Osaka, Japan)
Kobe Wing Stadium (Kobe, Japan)
Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa (Shizuoka, Japan)
Miyagi Stadium (Rifu, Japan)
Niigata Stadium (Niigata, Japan)
Tournament Information
Top Scorer
Ronaldo
Brazil