Football World Cup Korea Japan 2002

The 2002 FIFA World Cup took place from May 31 to June 30 in South Korea and Japan. It was the first World Cup of the 21st century, the first in Asia and the first to be co-organized by two countries. Despite its multiple participations in the final stages of the World Cup, from its first in Switzerland in 1954 to that in France in 1998, South Korea had never won a single match. In 2002, the two host countries had a low FIFA ranking, raising fears of non-qualification for the round of 16. Which would have been a first in the history of the competition. However, South Korea surprised everyone by reaching the round of 16 where they won against Italy. She then won on penalties against Spain in the quarter-final to reach the last four.