Day One of Football Festival of Six Billion World Citizens

The 2002 World Cup finals in Korea and Japan, which will be `the biggest festival in the global village`, is going to start one month`s heated contest with the opening games between former World Cup champion France and Senegal, along with the colorful opening ceremony, at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Sangam-Dong, Mapo-Gu, Seoul on May 31.

The 2002 World Cup finals in Korea and Japan is not only the first World Cup games in the 21st century but also the first of its kind in Asian continent, and will contain a total of 64 games in twenty stadiums in South Korea and Japan to rouse the football fans of the world to wild enthusiasm.

Thirty-two countries participating in the 17th World Cup finals include co-hosts South Korea and Japan, former World Cup champion France, and 29 countries passed the preliminary games held in each continent, and the participating countries are divided into eight groups, and play league in each group, and the first and second runners of each group will advance into the tournament of the 16 strong teams to decide champions.

The World Cup finals this time will be co-hosted by two countries for the first time in the World Cup history, and has a unique record of partaking all the champions in the past, for the first time in twelve years since the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy, such as Brazil, Germany, Italia, Argentina, England, France, and others, which will clash each other head-on to get the true championship.

The games opening ceremony beginning from 7:30 P.M in the day, will be proceeded with national anthems of Korea and Japan, welcoming address, opening address and, declaration of the opening, followed by congratulator stage event before the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony will take place under a title of `From the East` and transmit an oriental `coexisting spirit` using advanced intelligence communications technology Korea is proud of with the participation of 2,500 performers.

After the opening ceremony, beginning from 8:30 P.M., the opening games will take place between the 1998 World Cup champion France and a newly participating team Senegal

The World Cup finals is expected to be the largest in its history as thirteen thousand related persons including football players of thirty-two countries, representatives of FIFA, and reporters, participate and an accumulated number of 3.5 million spectators visit the stadiums, and an accumulated number of 60 billion people would watch the games through TV.

Korean National Football Team is aiming at advancing into the strong 16, and will play against Poland as the first match in Group D at 8:30 P.M. on June 4 in Busan, and then take on the United States at 3:30 P.M. on June 10 in Daegu, followed by the play with Portugal at 8:30 P.M. on June 14 in Incheon, respectively.

In other hand, celebration eve events were held at the Peace Park nearby the Seoul World Cup Stadium and around the Han River, and Portugal entered the country through Incheon International Airport as the last team among the 16 national teams that play in South Korea.