2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10–25 November 2001 |
| Teams | 4 (from 4 confederations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 4 |
| Goals scored | 7 (1.75 per match) |
| Attendance | 283,194 (70,799 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Richard Morales(2 goals) |
For the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification, there were two inter-confederation play-offs to determine the final two qualification spots to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They were won by Ireland and Uruguay. The matches were played between 10 and 25 November 2001.[1] As of 2022, this remains the last time a European team earned a World Cup spot through an intercontinental play-off. From 2006 onwards, the remaining European qualifiers would be determined by continental play-offs.
Format
The four teams from the four confederations (AFC, CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA) were drawn into two ties.
The ties themselves were not drawn, but were allocated by FIFA as:
- UEFA first round randomly drawn runner-up v AFC third round (play-off) winner
- OFC final round winner v CONMEBOL round-robin 5th place
The draw for the order in which the two matches were played was held on 31 August 2001 during the FIFA Congress in Zürich, Switzerland.[2]
In each tie, the two teams played a
Qualified teams
| Confederation | Placement | Team |
|---|---|---|
| AFC | Third round (play-off) winner |  Iran
|
| CONMEBOL | Round-robin 5th place | Uruguay
|
| OFC | Final round winner |  Australia
|
| UEFA | First round randomly drawn runner-up |  Republic of Ireland
|
Matches
The first legs were played on 10 and 20 November 2001, and the second legs were played on 15 and 25 November 2001.
UEFA v AFC
| Team 1 | Agg.
|
Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland
|
2–1 | Iran
|
2–0 | 0–1 |
| Iran | 1–0 | Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|---|
Golmohammadi  90' |
(Report) |
Republic of Ireland won 2–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
OFC v CONMEBOL
| Team 1 | Agg.
|
Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia
|
1–3 | Uruguay
|
1–0 | 0–3 |
Uruguay won 3–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Goalscorers
There were 7 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 1.75 goals per match.
2 goals
1 goal
References
- ^ "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan - Qualifiers". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ "Fifa announces play-off draw". BBC. 31 August 2001. Retrieved 14 November 2017.