The 2002 FIFA World Cup is the 17th FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea from May 31 to June 30, 2002. It was the first World Cup ever held in Asia and the first to be hosted by two countries. Brazil won the championship, and Ronaldo of the Brazil national team won the title for most goals scored. Oliver Kahn of Germany national team, who played against Brazil on the final tournament, was named the MVP, the first goalkeeper to ever receive it.

It was Japan’s second time to appear in the finals. Japan earned one point for a draw against its first match with Belgium, the first winning point gained for the finals. Japan earned its first victory on its second match against Russia and defeated Tunisia too. Japan went on to the knockout stage but was defeated by Turkey, being ranked 16th.
During the tournament, Nakatsue-mura of Oita Prefecture (today part of Hita City) became famous because the Cameroon national team arrived late at their training camp in the village, and the fauxhawk, the hair-style of David Beckham of the England national team, became popular among young men.

David Beckham and Ilhan Mansiz of the Turkey national team also became popular among those who were indifferent to football, women in particular, and were known as “Bekham-sama” (Mr. Beckham) and “Ilhan-ouji” (Prince Ilhan) respectively, covering weekly magazines and TV gossip shows in Japan. They did not lose their popularity even after the World Cup ended. Ilhan Mansiz later moved to a J-League club Vissel Kobe with an exceptional amount of transfer fee.