2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. The European section of the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as qualifiers for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which is being held in South Korea and Japan, for national teams which are members of the UEFA. Apart from France, who qualified automatically as defending champions, a total of 13.5 slots in the final tournament were available for UEFA teams. The 50 teams were divided into nine groups, five groups of six teams and four groups
2002 FIFA World Cup The tournament was criticized for many poor and questionable refereeing decisions. South Korea in particular faced scrutiny and allegations of corruption due to the favorable decisions they received in their controversial victories over Italy in the Round of 16 and over Spain in the Quarterfinals. The official FIFA cultural event of the 2002 World Cup was a flag festival called "Poetry of the Winds". Held in Nanjicheon Park, an area of the World Cup Park close to the stadium, "Poetry of the Winds" was exhibited from 29 May to 25 June in order to wish success upon the World Cup