Unforgettable Underdog World Cup Runs: Türkiye & South Korea 2002

The 2002 World Cup is remembered for some controversial referee decisions and many firsts for some nations. In the eye of this storm stand two countries: Türkiye & South Korea. Let’s have a deep dive into their interesting story of firsts, friendship and controversies!

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Turks and Koreans have a piece of history shared between them. Between 1950 and 1953, during Cold War times, there was a “Korean War” between South Korea and North Korea, in which these countries were supported by the different sides of the Cold War. Türkiye was one of the countries that sent troops alongside the United Nations (UN) to South Korea. The support and kindness South Koreans received from Turks are still remembered, some claim that these two countries have considered each other friends or brothers ever since. Almost half a decade after the Korean War, Türkiye and South Korea would have a hand-in-hand World Cup journey together. South Korea was one of the host countries of the 2002 World Cup, so they were already qualified, but Türkiye had to go through a qualification phase. Senol Gunes’ men finished their WC-Qualifiers group in 2nd place after Sweden and then beat Austria 4-0 on aggregate to successfully qualify. This was Türkiye’s first World Cup appearance since 1954 and also the first World Cup ever hosted by Asia. South Korea played in 5 more World Cups before 2002, but they couldn’t go any further than the group stages. 2002 was their 5th consecutive World Cup appearance.

(Image credits to trthaber.com)

Türkiye has been drawn into Group C alongside Brazil, Costa Rica and World Cup debutants, China. Their first match was against 4-time winners Brazil, who would make it 5 in the end of the tournament. Despite Brazil’s starstruck squad, Türkiye managed to go toe-to-toe against them and took the lead with Hasan Sas’ half-volley towards the end of the first half. However, momentum slowly started to shift towards Brazil in the second half and Ronaldo (R9) scored the equaliser in the 50th minute. The worst had yet to come when Alpay brought down Luizao and conceded a red card for Türkiye. Despite the correct red card call, the foul was made outside of the box and yet, the penalty was given. Rivaldo scored the deciding penalty in the dying minutes of the game and Türkiye’s journey began with a loss, but their play was encouraging. The next game was against an in-form Costa Rica. Although Costa Rica was defending well and putting the pressure against the Turks, they couldn’t prevent them from taking the lead. But once again, towards the end of the game, Turkey couldn’t stop the equaliser of Winston Parks and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Coming into the last game against the already eliminated China, Türkiye would need some stars to align and their prayers have been answered. Turks have beaten China 3-0 with goals from Hasan Sas, Bülent Korkmaz and Umit Davala, but their hopes were still in the hands of the other game of the group. Brazil’s 5-2 victory against Costa Rica was the result Türkiye needed and they advanced to the knockout stages on goal difference. Meanwhile, Guus Hiddink’s South Korea was in Group D with Portugal, Poland and the United States. The co-hosts eased past Poland with a 2-0 victory in the opening game, but in their second game, the United States wouldn’t make their life easy at all. The USA found the opener in the 24th minute with Mathis and then, the goalkeeper Brad Friedel became an American wall, saving a penalty and stopping shots after shots. Ahn Jung-Hwan finally managed to break through with a header and South Korea took home a vital 1 point. All they needed was a draw against the Portugal of Luis Figo and Rui Costa. Their opponent was down to 9 men when Park Ji-Sung scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute. With the USA losing against Poland, this result took South Korea to their first-ever knockout stage appearance as the group winners.

(Image credits to m.koreaheralds.com)

Coming into the knockout stages, Türkiye had an easier path towards the latter stages of the tournament than South Korea. Turks faced the other co-hosts of the tournament, Japan, in the round of 16 and Umit Davala’s towering header in the early stages of the game sealed the deal for a 1-0 victory. Their opponent in the quarter-finals was the eye-catching Senegal, looking to make African football history. Both teams came close to scoring, but Senegal got a goal disallowed due to offside and Türkiye was denied by a goal-line clearance from Senegal defence. The game went to extra time and it took only 4 minutes for Ilhan Mansiz to score the last golden goal in World Cup history, sending Türkiye into the semi-finals against Brazil. South Korea had to go through some European giants to reach the latter stages, but most people remember some referee decisions of those games rather than South Korea’s progress. In the round of 16 against Italy, South Korea missed an early penalty and got quickly punished by Christian Vieri’s header in the 18th minute. The Koreans came up with a late equaliser by Seol Ki-Hyeon and the game went to extra time. The controversy struck when the referee sent Francesco Totti off due to alleged diving and disallowed an Italian goal because of a questionable offside. Once again in the tournament, a header by Ahn Jung-Hwan determined the scoreline 2-1 in the 117th minute and also the opponents of the Spaniards in the quarter-finals. Spain was mostly in control of the quarter-final game and they also got a goal controversially ruled out due to foul play. With South Korea unable to score a goal as well, the game, just like the round of 16, went to extra time. Another Spanish goal was ruled out with a byline decision by the assistant referee that raised eyebrows and the deadlock remained unbroken for the rest of the extra time. So, penalties would decide the next semi-finalist. When Joaquin missed the 4th penalty and Hong Myung-Bo scored the next, South Korea became the first Asian country to advance to the World Cup semi-finals.

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In the semi-finals, two teams, who were making their own history, were up against two teams that are the history of the sport. The first match was between South Korea and Germany. After missing lots of chances, despite having control of the game, the Germans finally found the opener in the 75th minute with Michael Ballack and won the game 1-0. On the other side of the semi-finals, Türkiye was out for revenge against Brazil after the group stage opener. However, the Brazilians didn’t intend to give Türkiye as many chances as in the previous game. Brazil took control from the start and relentlessly attacked for a goal. Although the Turkish goalkeeper, Rustu Recber, heroically fended off Brazilian attackers for a while, the resistance broke down in the 49th minute, with “The Phenomenon” scoring another goal against the Turks. With Türkiye denied by the Brazilian goalkeeper, Marcos, in the few chances they’ve found, Brazil also went through to the finals with a 1-0 victory.

(Image credits to the-afc.com)

The two history-making countries finally met in the Third Place Play-Off to clinch the bronze medal. Some would say that friends have to become foes for such an occasion, but on and off the pitch, it was nothing short of a friendly game between two friendly nations. Korean fans set up a kind gesture before the kick-off by opening a Turkish flag and a banner saying “We are friends!”. Such a thrilling atmosphere deserved an endgame worthy of a World Cup and that game started rapidly. Türkiye found the first goal 11 seconds after the first whistle, which is still the fastest goal in World Cup history. South Korea answered quickly with an equaliser in the 9th minute, but was silenced twice by Ilhan Mansiz in the 13th and 32nd minutes. The Koreans found a second goal, but it was too late to turn around, as Türkiye brought the bronze medal home with a 3-2 victory over the co-hosts. Wholesome moments were made after the final whistle, as both teams’ players celebrated together and some Turkish players carried South Korea flags around the pitch. A perfect display of sportsmanship and football’s power of uniting people; a wholesome end to the historic campaigns of both countries…

(Image credits to fifa.com)

In conclusion, both Türkiye and South Korea pulled off their best achievements in international football in 2002. Nowadays, 24 years after that tournament, South Korea has once again qualified for the World Cup 2026. They will face Mexico, South Africa and a team coming from Play-Off Group D of the European Qualifiers(Czech Republic/Ireland/Denmark/North Macedonia). Meanwhile, Türkiye’s qualification is still uncertain, as they have to win the Play-Off Group C of the European Qualifiers against Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo. If the Turks win this group, they will be qualified for Group D alongside the co-hosts USA, Paraguay and Australia. Another World Cup that Türkiye is still waiting to qualify for and will be hosted by multiple countries…Will stars align once again for these two friendly nations? Only time will tell.

Article written by Emre Albas © Emre Albas 2026