2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs) played a two-legged home-and-away series. The two winners, decided on aggregate score, qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. The first legs were played on 10 and 20 November 2001, and the second legs were played on 15 and 25 November 2001. <section begin=playoff1 /> <section end=playoff1 /> Republic of Ireland won 2–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. <section begin=playoff2 /> <section end=playoff2 /> Uruguay won 3–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. There were 7 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 1.75
England at the FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup, the 1958 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Their best ever performance is winning the Cup in the 1966 tournament held in England, whilst they also finished in fourth place in 1990, in Italy, and in 2018 in Russia. Other than that, the team have reached the quarter-finals on nine occasions, the latest of which were at the 2002 (South Korea/Japan) and the 2006 (Germany). England are the only team not representing a sovereign state to win the World Cup, which they did in 1966 when they hosted the finals. They defeated West Germany