Portugal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup

Qualification

The Portuguese national team qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which was held in South Korea and Japan. They were drawn into qualifying group 2 along with the Netherlands, Ireland, Estonia, Cyprus, and Andorra. The top two teams from each group would qualify directly, while the third-placed teams would compete in a playoff.

Portugal won their opening match against Estonia, but drew at home against Ireland. However, they secured a crucial victory over the Netherlands away from home with a 2-0 scoreline. Although the second leg of the Netherlands match ended in a draw, Portugal's performance laid the foundation for their group victory.

Group Stage

Portugal finished top of their qualifying group, thanks to their better goal difference compared to Ireland, who also qualified for the World Cup. The remaining matches were won convincingly, ensuring that Portugal secured first place in the group.

### Group D

In the final round of the World Cup, Portugal was drawn into Group D alongside the United States, South Korea, and Poland (not mentioned in source snippets but implied as part of the 2002 World Cup). However, the provided information does not include details about their performance in this stage.

Squad

The Portuguese team was coached by António Oliveira. The squad included various players who contributed to the team's success during the qualifying campaign and the World Cup.

### External Links

* FIFA.com - South Korea and Japan 2002 (official website of the 2002 FIFA World Cup)