2002 FIFA World Cup Group H

Group H of the 2002 FIFA World Cup took place from 4 June 2002 to 14 June 2002. Japan won the group and advanced to the round of 16 (for the first time ever), along with Belgium. Russia and Tunisia failed to advance.^[1]

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Japan (H)	3	2	1	0	5	2	+3	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Belgium	3	1	2	0	6	5	+1	5	Advance to knockout stage
3	Russia	3	1	0	2	4	4	0	3
4	Tunisia	3	0	1	2	1	5	−4	1

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
(H) Hosts

Japan advanced to play Turkey (runner-up of Group C) in the round of 16.
Belgium advanced to play Brazil (winner of Group C) in the round of 16.

Matches

All times are local (UTC+9)

Japan vs Belgium

4 June 2002

18:00

Japan	2–2	Belgium
Suzuki 59' Inamoto 67'	^{[Report 1]}	Wilmots 57' Van der Heyden 75'

Saitama Stadium, Saitama

Attendance: 55,256

Referee: William Mattus (Costa Rica)

Japan

Belgium


GK	12	Seigo Narazaki
CB	3	Naoki Matsuda
CB	4	Ryuzo Morioka (c)		71'
CB	16	Kōji Nakata
CM	21	Kazuyuki Toda	31'
CM	5	Junichi Inamoto	54'
RW	22	Daisuke Ichikawa
AM	7	Hidetoshi Nakata
LW	18	Shinji Ono		64'
CF	13	Atsushi Yanagisawa
CF	11	Takayuki Suzuki		68'
Substitutions:
MF	14	Alex		64'
MF	8	Hiroaki Morishima		68'
DF	17	Tsuneyasu Miyamoto		71'
Manager:
Philippe Troussier


GK	1	Geert De Vlieger
RB	15	Jacky Peeters
CB	16	Daniel Van Buyten
CB	4	Eric Van Meir	82'
LB	12	Peter Van Der Heyden	21'
DM	18	Yves Vanderhaeghe
RM	10	Johan Walem		68'
CM	6	Timmy Simons
LM	8	Bart Goor
CF	7	Marc Wilmots (c)
CF	11	Gert Verheyen	62'	83'
Substitutions:
FW	9	Wesley Sonck		68'
FW	20	Branko Strupar		83'
Manager:
Robert Waseige

Man of the Match:
Junichi Inamoto (Japan)

Assistant referees:
Haidar Koleit (Lebanon)
Yury Dupanov (Belarus)
Fourth official:
Graham Poll (England)

Russia vs Tunisia

5 June 2002

15:30

Russia	2–0	Tunisia
Titov 59' Karpin 64' (pen.)	^{[Report 2]}

Kobe Wing Stadium, Kobe

Attendance: 30,957

Referee: Peter Prendergast (Jamaica)

Russia

Tunisia


GK	1	Ruslan Nigmatullin
RB	5	Andrei Solomatin
CB	3	Yuri Nikiforov
CB	7	Viktor Onopko (c)
LB	2	Yuri Kovtun
RM	8	Valery Karpin
CM	9	Yegor Titov
CM	20	Marat Izmailov		78'
LM	6	Igor Semshov	27'	46'
CF	19	Ruslan Pimenov
CF	11	Vladimir Beschastnykh		55'
Substitutions:
MF	21	Dmitri Khokhlov		46'
FW	22	Dmitri Sychev		55'
MF	15	Dmitri Alenichev	88'	78'
Manager:
Oleg Romantsev


GK	1	Ali Boumnijel
RB	6	Hatem Trabelsi
CB	15	Radhi Jaïdi
CB	4	Mohamed Mkacher
LB	12	Raouf Bouzaiene
RM	8	Hassen Gabsi	50'	67'
CM	13	Riadh Bouazizi
CM	18	Selim Ben Achour
LM	2	Khaled Badra		84'
CF	5	Ziad Jaziri	75'
CF	11	Adel Sellimi (c)		67'
Substitutions:
MF	3	Zoubeir Baya		67'
MF	7	Imed Mhedhebi		67'
FW	20	Ali Zitouni		84'
Manager:
Ammar Souayah

Man of the Match:
Yuri Nikiforov (Russia)

Assistant referees:
Michael Ragoonath (Trinidad and Tobago)
Paul Smith (New Zealand)
Fourth official:
Antonio López Nieto (Spain)

Japan vs Russia

9 June 2002

20:30

Japan	1–0	Russia
Inamoto 51'	^{[Report 3]}

International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama

Attendance: 66,108

Referee: Markus Merk (Germany)

Japan

Russia


GK	12	Seigo Narazaki
CB	3	Naoki Matsuda
CB	17	Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (c)	15'
CB	16	Kōji Nakata	42'
RM	20	Tomokazu Myojin
CM	21	Kazuyuki Toda
CM	7	Hidetoshi Nakata
CM	5	Junichi Inamoto		85'
LM	18	Shinji Ono		75'
CF	11	Takayuki Suzuki		72'
CF	13	Atsushi Yanagisawa
Substitutions:
FW	10	Masashi Nakayama	90+1'	72'
DF	6	Toshihiro Hattori		75'
MF	15	Takashi Fukunishi		85'
Manager:
Philippe Troussier


GK	1	Ruslan Nigmatullin
RB	5	Andrei Solomatin	38'
CB	3	Yuri Nikiforov
CB	7	Viktor Onopko (c)
LB	2	Yuri Kovtun
RM	8	Valery Karpin
CM	4	Alexey Smertin		57'
CM	9	Yegor Titov
CM	20	Marat Izmailov		52'
LM	6	Igor Semshov
CF	19	Ruslan Pimenov	13'	46'
Substitutions:
FW	22	Dmitri Sychev		46'
MF	21	Dmitri Khokhlov	60'	52'
FW	11	Vladimir Beschastnykh		57'
Manager:
Oleg Romantsev

Man of the Match:
Junichi Inamoto (Japan)

Assistant referees:
Heiner Müller (Germany)
Evzen Amler (Czech Republic)
Fourth official:
Ubaldo Aquino (Paraguay)

Tunisia vs Belgium

10 June 2002

18:00

Tunisia	1–1	Belgium
Bouzaiene 17'	^{[Report 4]}	Wilmots 13'

Ōita Big Eye Stadium, Ōita

Attendance: 39,700

Referee: Mark Shield (Australia)

Tunisia

Belgium


GK	1	Ali Boumnijel
RB	6	Hatem Trabelsi	68'
CB	15	Radhi Jaïdi
CB	2	Khaled Badra (c)
LB	12	Raouf Bouzaiene
RM	8	Hassen Gabsi	22'	67'
CM	10	Kaies Ghodhbane	43'
CM	18	Selim Ben Achour
CM	13	Riadh Bouazizi
LM	21	Mourad Melki	69'	88'
CF	5	Ziad Jaziri		77'
Substitutions:
FW	11	Adel Sellimi		67'
FW	20	Ali Zitouni		77'
MF	3	Zoubeir Baya		88'
Manager:
Ammar Souayah


GK	1	Geert De Vlieger
RB	2	Éric Deflandre
CB	3	Glen De Boeck
CB	16	Daniel Van Buyten	40'
LB	12	Peter Van Der Heyden
RM	11	Gert Verheyen		46'
CM	18	Yves Vanderhaeghe
CM	6	Timmy Simons		74'
LM	8	Bart Goor
CF	7	Marc Wilmots (c)
CF	20	Branko Strupar		46'
Substitutions:
FW	9	Wesley Sonck		46'
MF	14	Sven Vermant		46'
FW	22	Mbo Mpenza		74'
Manager:
Robert Waseige

Man of the Match:
Raouf Bouzaiene (Tunisia)

Assistant referees:
Paul Smith (New Zealand)
Komaleeswaran Sankar (India)
Fourth official:
Gilles Veissière (France)

Tunisia vs Japan

14 June 2002

15:30

Tunisia	0–2	Japan
	^{[Report 5]}	Morishima 48' H. Nakata 75'

Nagai Stadium, Osaka

Attendance: 45,213

Referee: Gilles Veissière (France)

Tunisia

Japan


GK	1	Ali Boumnijel
RB	6	Hatem Trabelsi
CB	15	Radhi Jaïdi
CB	2	Khaled Badra (c)	81'
LB	12	Raouf Bouzaiene		78'
RM	21	Mourad Melki		46'
CM	10	Kaies Ghodhbane
CM	18	Selim Ben Achour
CM	13	Riadh Bouazizi	21'
LM	23	José Clayton		61'
CF	5	Ziad Jaziri
Substitutions:
MF	3	Zoubeir Baya		46'
MF	7	Imed Mhedhebi		61'
FW	20	Ali Zitouni		78'
Manager:
Ammar Souayah


GK	12	Seigo Narazaki
CB	3	Naoki Matsuda
CB	17	Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (c)
CB	16	Kōji Nakata
RM	20	Tomokazu Myojin
CM	21	Kazuyuki Toda
CM	7	Hidetoshi Nakata	84'
CM	5	Junichi Inamoto	46'
LM	18	Shinji Ono
CF	13	Atsushi Yanagisawa	46'
CF	11	Takayuki Suzuki
Substitutions:
MF	8	Hiroaki Morishima	46'
MF	22	Daisuke Ichikawa	46'
MF	19	Mitsuo Ogasawara	84'
Manager:
Philippe Troussier

Man of the Match:
Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan)

Assistant referees:
Frédéric Arnault (France)
Haidar Koleit (Lebanon)
Fourth official:
René Ortubé (Bolivia)

Belgium vs Russia

14 June 2002

15:30

Belgium	3–2	Russia
Walem 7' Sonck 78' Wilmots 82'	^{[Report 6]}	Beschastnykh 52' Sychev 88'

Shizuoka Ecopa Stadium, Fukuroi, Shizuoka

Attendance: 46,640

Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark)

Belgium

Russia


GK	1	Geert De Vlieger
RB	15	Jacky Peeters
CB	3	Glen De Boeck		90+2'
CB	16	Daniel Van Buyten
LB	5	Nico Van Kerckhoven
RM	11	Gert Verheyen		78'
CM	18	Yves Vanderhaeghe	39'
CM	10	Johan Walem
LM	8	Bart Goor
CF	7	Marc Wilmots (c)
CF	22	Mbo Mpenza		70'
Substitutions:
FW	9	Wesley Sonck		70'
MF	6	Timmy Simons		78'
DF	4	Eric Van Meir		90+2'
Manager:
Robert Waseige


GK	1	Ruslan Nigmatullin
RB	5	Andrei Solomatin	12'
CB	3	Yuri Nikiforov		43'
CB	7	Viktor Onopko (c)
LB	2	Yuri Kovtun
DM	21	Dmitri Khokhlov
RM	8	Valery Karpin		82'
CM	4	Alexey Smertin	14'	34'
CM	9	Yegor Titov
LM	15	Dmitri Alenichev	64'
CF	11	Vladimir Beschastnykh
Substitutions:
FW	22	Dmitri Sychev		34'
DF	18	Dmitri Sennikov	84'	43'
FW	16	Aleksandr Kerzhakov		82'
Manager:
Oleg Romantsev

Man of the Match:
Marc Wilmots (Belgium)

Assistant referees:
Philip Sharp (England)
Komaleeswaran Sankar (India)
Fourth official:
Pierluigi Collina (Italy)

References

^ Manaschev, Erlan (3 July 2008). "World Cup 2002 – Match Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 30 April 2026.

Reports

^
- "Japan vs Belgium | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Japan v Belgium". FIFA. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Match Report – Group H – Japan v Belgium" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
^
- "Russia vs Tunisia | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Russia v Tunisia". FIFA. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Match Report – Group H – Russia v Tunisia" (PDF). FIFA. 5 June 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
^
- "Japan vs Russia | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Japan v Russia". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Match Report – Group H – Japan v Russia". FIFA. 9 June 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
^
- "Tunisia vs Belgium | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Tunisia v Belgium". FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Match Report – Group H – Tunisia v Belgium". FIFA. 10 June 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
^
- "Tunisia vs Japan | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Tunisia v Japan". FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Match Report – Group H – Tunisia v Japan". FIFA. 14 June 2002. Archived from the original on 24 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
^
- "Belgium vs Russia | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Belgium v Russia". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- "Match Report – Group H – Belgium v Russia". FIFA. 14 June 2002. Archived from the original on 9 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[1] Manaschev, Erlan (3 July 2008). "World Cup 2002 – Match Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 30 April 2026.

[2] 
"Japan vs Belgium | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Japan v Belgium". FIFA. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"Match Report – Group H – Japan v Belgium" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[3] "Japan vs Belgium | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[4] "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Japan v Belgium". FIFA. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[5] "Match Report – Group H – Japan v Belgium" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[3] 
"Russia vs Tunisia | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Russia v Tunisia". FIFA. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"Match Report – Group H – Russia v Tunisia" (PDF). FIFA. 5 June 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[7] "Russia vs Tunisia | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[8] "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Russia v Tunisia". FIFA. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[9] "Match Report – Group H – Russia v Tunisia" (PDF). FIFA. 5 June 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[4] 
"Japan vs Russia | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Japan v Russia". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"Match Report – Group H – Japan v Russia". FIFA. 9 June 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[11] "Japan vs Russia | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[12] "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Japan v Russia". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[13] "Match Report – Group H – Japan v Russia". FIFA. 9 June 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[5] 
"Tunisia vs Belgium | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Tunisia v Belgium". FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"Match Report – Group H – Tunisia v Belgium". FIFA. 10 June 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[15] "Tunisia vs Belgium | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[16] "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Tunisia v Belgium". FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[17] "Match Report – Group H – Tunisia v Belgium". FIFA. 10 June 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[6] 
"Tunisia vs Japan | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Tunisia v Japan". FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"Match Report – Group H – Tunisia v Japan". FIFA. 14 June 2002. Archived from the original on 24 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[19] "Tunisia vs Japan | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[20] "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Tunisia v Japan". FIFA. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[21] "Match Report – Group H – Tunisia v Japan". FIFA. 14 June 2002. Archived from the original on 24 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[7] 
"Belgium vs Russia | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Belgium v Russia". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
"Match Report – Group H – Belgium v Russia". FIFA. 14 June 2002. Archived from the original on 9 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[23] "Belgium vs Russia | Group Stage | 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan". FIFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[24] "2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan – Matches – Belgium v Russia". FIFA. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[25] "Match Report – Group H – Belgium v Russia". FIFA. 14 June 2002. Archived from the original on 9 June 2003. Retrieved 1 May 2026.

[1]

[Report 1]

[Report 2]

[Report 3]

[Report 4]

[Report 5]

[Report 6]

2002 FIFA World Cup
Stages	Group stage Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Group F Group G Group H Knockout stage Final
General information	Qualification Broadcasting Discipline Referees Seeding Sponsorship Squads

2002 FIFA World Cup finalists
Champions	Brazil
Runners-up	Germany
Third place	Turkey
Fourth place	South Korea
Quarter-finals	England Senegal Spain United States
Round of 16	Belgium Denmark Italy Japan Mexico Paraguay Republic of Ireland Sweden
Group stage	Argentina Cameroon China Costa Rica Croatia Ecuador France Nigeria Poland Portugal Russia Saudi Arabia Slovenia South Africa Tunisia Uruguay

Standings

Matches

Japan vs Belgium

Russia vs Tunisia

Japan vs Russia

Tunisia vs Belgium

Tunisia vs Japan

Belgium vs Russia

See also

References

Reports