The Football World Cup is one of the largest and most pop- ular sporting events. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2002 was the 17th World Cup conducted since 1930. It was the first time the tournament was held in Asia as well as being cohosted by two countries, Korea and Japan. From May 30 to June 30, 2002, the teams of the 32 finalists played 64 matches, which were televised and watched by 29.8 billion people in more than 200 countries. 5 The FIFA World Cup features the best technical skills and tactics to be found in soccer and influ- ences millions of amateur and recreational soccer players around the world. However, soccer, like most sports, is also associated with a certain risk of injury for the players. The incidence of injury varies depending on the type of tournament and the characteristics of the players and seems to be significantly higher in men than in women playing the same type of tournament. 3,15 The incidence of injury in men’s interna- tional soccer tournaments ranges from 51 to 144 injuries per 1000 match hours, equivalent to approximately 2 to 3 injuries per match. 10,15 The majority of injuries do not result in subsequent absence from training or matches: on average, only 1 injury per tournament results in the play- er being absent from the sport for more than 1 month. 15 Most soccer injuries are caused by contact with another player, with 15% to 50% occurring as a result of foul play. 4,7,9,13 A detailed analysis of the injuries associated with the game is required, such that the cause of injury can be bet- ter understood and strategies can be developed for their prevention. The standardized assessment of sports injuries provides an opportunity for monitoring long-term changes in the frequency and circumstances of injury. The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence, cir- cumstances, and characteristics of injury during the World Cup 2002 and to compare the data with that reported for previous international men’s soccer tournaments. METHODS The physicians of the participating teams were asked to report all injuries after each match, on a specially designed injury report form. An injury was defined as any physical complaint incurred during the match that received med- ical attention from the team physician regardless of the consequences with respect to absence from the match or training. Football Injuries During the World Cup 2002 Astrid Junge,* †‡ PhD, Jiri Dvorak, †‡ MD, and Toni Graf-Baumann, †§ MD From the † FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC), Zurich, Switzerland, ‡ Schulthess Klinik, Zurich, Switzerland, and the § Office for Management in Medical Research, Teningen, Germany Background: The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup is one of the largest, most popular sport- ing events but is associated with a certain risk of injury for the players. Purpose: Analysis of the incidence, circumstances, and characteristics of soccer injury during the World Cup 2002. Study Design: Prospective survey. Methods: The physicians of all participating teams reported all injuries after each match on a standardized injury report form. The response rate was 100%. Results: A total of 171 injuries were reported from the 64 matches, which is equivalent to an incidence of 2.7 injuries per match; approximately 1 to 2 injuries per match resulted in absence from training or match. More than a quarter of all injuries were incurred without contact with another player, and 73% were contact injuries. Half of the contact injuries, or 37% of all injuries, were caused by foul play as rated by the team physician and the injured player. Conclusion: The incidence of injuries during the World Cup 2002 was similar to those reported for the World Cup in 1994 and in 1998. Increased awareness of the importance of fair play may assist in the prevention of injury. Keywords: soccer; football; injury; incidence rate; tournament 23S * Address correspondence and reprint requests to Astrid Junge, FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre, Schulthess Klinik, Lengghalde 2, Zurich 8008, Switzerland. No author or related institution has received any financial benefit in connection with this study. See “Acknowledgements” for funding information. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. 32, No. 1 Suppl. DOI: 10.1177/0363546503261246 © 2004 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine DOC TYPE = ARTICLE