Despite having played only 45 minutes of football under new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, Dyer was named in the squad for the 2002 World Cup. Two days after the squad was announced, Dyer suffered knee ligament damage after being tackled by Tahar El Khalej in a league game against Southampton. However, he recovered just in time to remain in the squad. He made three appearances, all as a substitute, in the tournament until England were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Brazil.