8 groups old format for the men...ALL 8 group leaders.........no difference in result of the matches, were a European country.....white people on top.....it isn't fair, like next year's world cup....Mexico has already hosted it TWICE, the opener is in Mexico, final in the USA.....Canada, the only one of the 3.......should probably get BOTH the opener and the final........it is only fair, hq'd in Switzerland, only whites matter.......is what they are saying or rich countries, nothing wrong with financial success......soccer is soccer..........if any continent, fifa calls them confederations, but continents really......6........no countries in Antarctica.............a European country would be doubly represented within each group......clear favoritism towards the USA.....b/c of our military and money....

an example.........2002......Brazil over Germany, Tokyo, although the stadium might have been in close by Yokohama, port cities.......the emperor was in attendance...

Winners: Brazil
Teams: 32
Teams in qualifiers: 199
Notable absentees: Netherlands
Surprises: Senegal, South Korea, Turkey
Golden Boot: Ronaldo (Brazil) -- 8
Stats: A total of 161 goals were scored (2.52 per match); Brazil (18) scored the most
Format: Eight groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to a knockout round of 16
Number of matches: 64

Controversies
• FIFA banned Cameroon from wearing the sleeveless shirts they had used throughout the 2002 African Nations Cup as they were deemed to be "vests"

Trivia
• Three countries pre-qualified -- France as holders and South Korea and Japan as co-hosts
• On the same day as the final, the two lowest-ranked FIFA teams -- Montserrat (203rd) and Bhutan (202nd) -- met in Bhutan. The hosts won 2-0 in front of 15,000
• Ronaldo changed his hairstyle after the quarterfinals when his wife told him their young son kissed the TV screen shouting "daddy" when he saw Roberto Carlos
• South Korea's Cha Doo-Ri was booked 20 seconds after coming on as a substitute during injury time in a match against Poland
• Bora Milutinovic was a coach at his fifth successive finals with his fifth different country

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In a tournament characterised by an overwhelming capacity to surprise, with virtually every underdog having their day, it seemed somehow inappropriate that the final of the 2002 World Cup was contested by two teams who between them had graced 12 of the competition's 16 finals.

Brazil, with four titles to their name going into the tournament, prevailed against a decidedly average German side, with three previous wins, by two goals to nil