Argentina, England drawn in toughest World Cup group

December 1, 2001

BUSAN, South Korea (AP) -- Defending champion France will face former colony and World Cup debutante Senegal in the opening game of the 2002 World Cup in Seoul on May 31, while Argentina and England were drawn Saturday to renew their long soccer rivalry.

Cup favorite Argentina and England were drawn in Group F during the final draw at Busan's Bexco exhibition hall.

Sweden and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Nigeria were also drawn in Group F, making it easily the toughest of the eight groups in the first World Cup to be staged in Asia and the first to be co-hosted.

Argentina, Italy and Germany were the seeds allocated to play in Japan, while four-time champion Brazil was picked in Group C and will play in South Korea along with France, which gained an automatic seeding in Group A, Spain and South Korea.

Groups A to D will be based in South Korea and Groups E to H will be based in Japan, with each nation hosting 32 matches.

The Italians will open against another rookie, Ecuador, at Sapporo June 3, while Germany faces Saudi Arabia in its first match.

Brazil faces Turkey in its first match at Ulsan on June 3.

Spain was allocated to Group B and will open against debutante Slovenia at Gwangju on June 2.

South Korea, granted automatic entry to Group D as co-host, will open against Poland in Busan on June 4.

FIFA, soccer's world governing body, admitted the format for dividing the 32 teams into eight groups of four was tough to explain.

It's usually confusing, but "It's worse than ever," FIFA general-secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen said, explaining how and why the yellow, blue and red balls were distributed into pots on the stage at the Bexco exhibition hall.

The red balls represented the competing nations and were placed into four pots, the first containing the seeded teams and the remainder along geographic guidelines.

The draw coincided with a day of national celebration in Japan, where crown princess Masako gave birth to a baby girl earlier Saturday at a hospital in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

The 2002 World Cup will start May 31 in Seoul, with France against Senegal.

The final will be held June 30 in Yokohama, Japan.

Former players Pele, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Roger Milla were among 12 people invited to join FIFA president Sepp Blatter in conducting the draw at the Bexco exhibition hall in Busan and help decide the rest.

The 85-minute celebration opened with a performance of Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 by Busan's Philharmonic Orchestra followed by the official 2002 World Cup anthem.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on New York and Washington, local organizers insisted on heavy security for the draw, with guards stationed at 20-meter intervals around the Bexco Center in this southern port city and patrols by armed police with dogs.

The South Korean government also put it's elite anti-terrorism unit on alert to ensure nothing goes wrong in an event marking the start of a six-month countdown. This will be the first World Cup to be co-hosted.

With the draw being broadcast to 1 billion people around the globe, Blatter used the opportunity to promote his sport as a catalyst for peace.

"Football can show to the world that this game can bring a better understanding in a very painful moment when other activities are trying to destroy our world," he said.

England have chance for revenge, says keeper Seaman

"We have all seen what Nigeria can do," said Seaman on BBC radio. "I can't wait. It'll be great out there. We had great feeling after Germany game and after qualifying. Bring it on."