2002 World Cup

The 2002 FIFA World Cup was an event held between 31 May and 30 June 2002, jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan.^【1】 The tournament retains its unique position in FIFA World Cup history as the first to be held on Asian soil and jointly hosted by two different countries. A total of 64 matches were played among 32 national teams, with 161 goals scored and an average of 2.51 goals per match.^【2】

The tournament was conducted in stadiums separately designated in Japan and South Korea. Turkey’s group stage matches were played in Ulsan, Incheon and Seoul; their knockout stage matches took place in Miyagi, Osaka, Saitama and Daegu.^【3】

The champion of the tournament was the Brazil national team. Brazil won all seven of its matches, matching Italy’s record of advancing to the final without a single loss in 1934 and 1938, and finished the tournament as the top-scoring team with 18 goals.^【4】 Germany finished in second place and Türkiye in third.^【5】

Türkiye national team competed in Group 4 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup European qualifiers. Facing Sweden, Slovakia, Macedonia, Moldova and Azerbaijan, Türkiye recorded a record of 6 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss over 10 matches.^【6】 As Sweden finished first in the group, Türkiye was forced into a playoff against Austria after losing their final group match in Istanbul 2–1.

^{Support from South Korean fans for the Turkish national team} (AA)

Şenol Güneş-managed Türkiye national team won the first leg of the playoff in Vienna 1–0 thanks to a goal by Okan, securing a favorable position before the return leg.^【7】Istanbul’s Ali Sami Yen Stadium hosted the return leg, where Türkiye defeated Austria 5–0. This result qualified Türkiye for the FIFA World Cup finals after a 48-year absence — their previous participation had been at the 1954 Switzerland World Cup.^【8】

Türkiye national team was placed in Group C of the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals alongside Brazil, Costa Rica and China. Despite facing the eventual tournament champion Brazil, Türkiye managed to take the lead in two of its three matches.

3 June 2002 in Ulsan (South Korea), Türkiye faced the eventual champion Brazil in their opening group match. Hasan Şaş gave the national team the lead with a goal in the 45+2nd minute; however, Ronaldo equalized in the 50th minute and Rivaldo scored from a penalty in the 87th minute, resulting in a 2–1 defeat for Türkiye.^【9】

9 June 2002 in Incheon (South Korea), Türkiye took the lead in the 56th minute through a goal by Emre Belözoğlu. However, with just 4 minutes remaining, Winston Parks equalized, ending the match 1–1 and leaving Türkiye with the necessity of winning their final match to avoid elimination.^【10】

13 June 2002 in Seoul, Türkiye defeated China 3–0. Goals were scored by Hasan Şaş (6th minute), Bülent Korkmaz (9th minute), and Ümit Davala (85th minute). ^【11】 In this decisive match, Brazil simultaneously defeated Costa Rica 5–2, allowing Türkiye to finish second in Group C with 4 points and a superior goal difference.^【12】

Türkiye’s statistical record in the group stage was as follows: 3 matches, 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss, 5 goals scored, 4 goals conceded, 4 points.^【13】Türkiye’s four conceded goals included three against Brazil; this highlights the strength of the national team’s performances against Costa Rica and China.

Türkiye faced host nation Japan in the round of 16. Played in Miyagi under the refereeing of Italian official Pierluigi Collina, Ümit Davala scored in the 12th minute to give Türkiye the lead, and the team won 1–0 to advance to the quarter-finals. ^【14】 Despite intense home crowd support for Japan, Türkiye dominated through disciplined defense and effective counterattacks.

^{Türkiye in the Semi-Final} (AA)

Türkiye faced Senegal, the tournament’s surprise team up to that point. Senegal had eliminated defending champions France in the group stage and reached the quarter-finals. The match in Osaka ended 0–0 after 90 minutes and went into extra time.^【15】

Under the tournament’s "golden goal" rule, the first team to score in extra time would win. In the 94th minute, İlhan Mansız scored the decisive goal, sending Türkiye to the semi-finals. ^【16】 This goal became one of the tournament’s most iconic moments, marking Türkiye’s first-ever appearance in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.

26 June 2002 in Saitama (Japan), Türkiye met Brazil again, the same team they had faced in the group stage. After a hard-fought match, Türkiye could not prevent the only goal of the match, scored by Ronaldo in the 49th minute, and lost 1–0.^【17】 Meanwhile, in the other semi-final, Germany defeated South Korea 1–0 to reach the final.

^{South Korea – Türkiye Third Place Match} (AA)

29 June 2002 in Daegu (South Korea), Türkiye faced the other host nation, South Korea. In a stadium where the vast majority of the 63,483 spectators supported the home team, Türkiye won a fiercely contested match 3–2, achieving the best result in FIFA World Cup history for the nation.^【18】

The significance of the third-place match extended beyond the scoreline. The Türkiye national team completed its seven-match journey in the 2002 tournament with a record of 4 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. The team scored 10 goals and conceded 6 goals during the tournament.^【19】 This performance made Türkiye the national team with the longest run in FIFA World Cup history up to that point.

Türkiye national team was awarded the FIFA Fair Play Award for its sportsmanlike conduct on the pitch during the 2002 FIFA World Cup.^【20】 The defining moment of this award occurred after the third-place match in Daegu: Turkish players held hands with their defeated South Korean opponents, inviting them to join in a lap of honor to be applauded by the crowd, sharing their victory in a spirit of mutual respect.

^{2002 World Cup Third Place Squad of the Turkish National Football Team} (AA)

The concept of fair play in sports ethics literature is understood through two fundamental dimensions: first, sporting virtue in relation to rules; second, sporting virtue as a principle of life. The second dimension emphasizes efforts to alleviate unfair situations faced by opponents, maintaining composure in victory or defeat, and recognizing opponents not as enemies but as equals whose rights are essential to the game’s existence.^【21】

In this context, the conduct of Turkish players in Daegu was viewed as a direct embodiment of this definition. Period analyses published in Turkish Sports Print Media documented the 2002 World Cup as a landmark example of fair play in Turkish football, noting that the solidarity displayed between Turkish and South Korean players after the match generated widespread international acclaim.^【22】

30 June 2002 in Yokohama (Japan), the final match saw Brazil defeat Germany 2–0, with both goals scored by Ronaldo.^【23】 With this victory, Brazil became the first team in FIFA World Cup history to win the title for the fifth time.

^{National euphoria in Taksim} (AA)

A total of 161 goals were scored in 64 matches, with an average of 2.51 goals per match. ^【24】 The Golden Boot was awarded to Brazilian Ronaldo with eight goals. Rivaldo (Brazil, 5 goals) and Miroslav Klose (Germany, 5 goals) shared second place. Jon Dahl Tomasson (Denmark) and Christian Vieri (Italy) finished third with four goals each.^【25】

In sports science literature, goal analyses provide insight into tactical shifts across World Cup tournaments. According to an academic study on the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, goal averages per match and goal-scoring patterns have undergone significant changes in recent decades; this study also documents historical data showing that in the 2002 tournament, 59% of goals were scored in the second half.^【26】