The World Cup draw in Busan. (Jiji) WORLD CUP GROUPINGS DECIDED: Japan to Face Belgium, Russia, and Tunisia December 28, 2001 The 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan will take place in Japan and South Korea between May 31 and June 30, 2002. The lineup of the 32 countries that will compete in the tournament was completed on November 25, and the groupings for the first round, played according to a league format, were decided at the draw in Busan, South Korea, on December 1. The big event itself - the first World Cup to be held in Asia and the first to be cohosted by two nations - is now less than six months away. Day of Destiny The Japanese public spent much of December 1 glued to their TV sets, transfixed by two big news events. First, at just after 2 p.m., came the news that Crown Princess Masako had given birth to a baby girl, and then, in the evening, came the draw that would decide which teams Japan would face in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Fans were on the edge of their seats as Belgium, Russia, and Tunisia were drawn in Japan's first-round group, Group H. The dates and venues for the games were also decided: Japan will face Belgium on June 4 at Saitama Stadium 2002, Russia on June 9 at International Stadium Yokohama, and Tunisia on June 14 at Nagai Stadium in Osaka. Training Camp Venues Decided Profiles of Japan's three opponents and predictions about how the national team will fare were given broad coverage in the press and on TV in the days following the draw. The local governments of the three areas that will host the Japanese team's matches began preparing in earnest to welcome the teams and their fans. In all, 32 matches will be played at 10 stadiums in Japan, and now that the teams and dates of the games are fixed each of these venues has begun the final stages of their preparations. Construction of the last of the Japanese venues, Kobe Stadium, was completed at the end of November, and all that is left is to put the final touches to the arrangements and wait for the big kickoff. Among those who took most interest in the results of the draw were the 84 cities, towns, and villages that had been wooing the teams in the hope of playing host to their training camps before and during the tournament. These places see the prospect of playing host to a training camp as a way of putting themselves on the global map without staging a World Cup match. After the draw a number of teams decided where to hold their camps: Italy in the city of Sendai, Ecuador in the city of Tottori, and Ireland in the city of Chiba, for example. World Cup Anticipation Grows   Your Name What did you think of this article? It was interesting. It was boring. Send this article to a friend Once the lineup of the teams was decided, interest in buying match tickets intensified. On December 5 the draw for the second round of ticket sales to the general public was held, and applications flooded in. Fans whose lucky number came up in the draw rushed to buy tickets. For some popular matches, such as those involving Japan, there were more than 100 times as many applications as tickets. The relief of the Japanese players at knowing which teams they will face was also tinged with nervous tension at the knowledge that the tournament is fast approaching. The team fought bravely for a 1-1 draw against Italy in a friendly at Saitama Stadium in November, bringing joy to the 62,000 spectators. The team is scheduled to play between five and seven games before the World Cup, including a European tour at the beginning of May. World Cup fever is sure to intensify further as we enter 2002. List of participating countries: Host nations: Japan, South Korea Reigning champions: France Asia: China, Saudi Arabia CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean): Costa Rica, Mexico, United States Europe: Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey South America: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay Africa: Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia Copyright (c) 2001 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.