Its gameplay was fluid, the physics felt weighty, and the atmosphere was electric. However, like many games of that era, Winning Eleven 2002 came with a lock-and-key mentality. A significant portion of the game’s content—specifically the teams—was hidden behind achievement walls. If you have recently dusted off your PlayStation 2 or are playing via an emulator to relive the nostalgia, you might be staring at a limited team selection.

Would you like this written as a cheat code patch, ROM hack instruction, or a mod description for emulators?

To unlock the classic versions of national teams (featuring retired legends), you must win the (Konami’s version of the World Cup) on the hardest difficulty settings.

In some versions of Winning Eleven 6 (the US release), you don't unlock via gameplay alone. You earn (Winning Eleven Points) by winning matches. You then go into the Option Shop (PES Shop) and spend these points to buy:

If you have an original copy of Winning Eleven 2002 (or WE6 ) running on a stock PS1 or PS2, you cannot simply press a button. You must earn the teams. Here is the breakdown:

So fire up your PS1, your PS2, or your PC. Unlock those teams. Put Zidane, Pelé, and Cruyff on the same pitch. That is the eternal magic of Winning Eleven 2002 .