Gattuso made two substitute appearances at the 2002 World Cup, first in his nation's 2–0 opening group win against Ecuador, and secondly in Italy's controversial 2–1 extra-time defeat to co-hosts South Korea in the round of 16 of the competition. He also later appeared in Italy's two opening group matches at Euro 2004, against Denmark (0–0) and Sweden (1–1), but missed out on Italy's final match against Bulgaria (2–1) due to a suspension following an accumulation of two yellow cards in the first two matches of the competition; despite a 2–1 win, Italy were eliminated from the tournament in the first round on direct encounters, following a three-way five-point tie with Denmark and Sweden.