Originally, it was released to advertise the FIFA World Cup 2002 in Japan and South Korea
With 52 episodes, the series is composed of three arcs: Road to Dream (a retelling of the original TV anime), Road to Sky (a retelling of the OVA series), and Road to Victory (new material that combines a few elements from the World Youth Saga manga with the stories from the Road to 2002 manga).
Various club teams had their uniforms, logos and names modified, due to the disagreement between FIFA and Shueisha regarding the featuring of the clubs with their real-world logos, stadiums and jerseys
Some game results were given more 'realistic scores' such as Nankatsu school being beaten 10-0 and not 30-0 as in the manga
The series was sponsored by Adidas (for example, the logo can be seen in Genzo's cap, in the stadiums' adboards or in Japan's uniform).