FIFA President Joseph Blatter reacts during a news conference last month. Blatter is not surprised with the results of the World Cup. (AP/Keystone, Michele Limina)

TOKYO (AP) - Semifinalists South Korea and Turkey are not one-hit wonders, and their success at the World Cup is proof that now "everybody can beat everybody," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Tuesday.

"I announced surprises before the beginning of the World Cup," Blatter said in an interview with The Associated Press. "The Europeans, when they won the World Cup, they've won in Europe," Blatter said. "The South Americans, they've won when the World Cup was in the Americas."

Blatter said South Korea and Turkey have proved there are no longer any 'small' teams.

"That's finished. Everybody can beat everybody," he said, adding that success of unheralded teams is likely to produce a "strong reaction" among soccer superpowers which will try to bounce back in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

In this year's tournament, one quarter-finalist came from Asia, one from Africa and one from North America. In 1994 and 1998, no quarter-finalist was from outside Europe or South America.

Responding to suggestions that smaller soccer countries only got this far because top European and South American stars have effectively burned out following a long and tiring season, Blatter said it was up to national federations to shorten their league seasons and give players more time to recuperate.

"The date of this World Cup was known more than two years ago," he said. "If you want to prepare properly for the World Cup, you cut the season, you have less matches in the league or cups.

"A decision must be made by the whole football family to cut down the number of matches to a certain number."

Blatter said soccer outside of the two traditional continents would also receive a further boost in 2010 when the World Cup will be hosted by an African country for the first time.

"Africa definitely has the background to organize the World Cup," said Blatter, adding that several African countries, including Egypt, Ivory Coast, South Africa and Morocco have already expressed interest in staging soccer's biggest tournament.

The final decision on the host of the 2010 World Cup - only African countries are allowed to submit bids - is due in 2004. The tournament will kick off a system of rotating Cups between the globe's six soccer regions.

In the future, FIFA would again consider co-hosting of the World Cup, Blatter said, but only if there was one organizing committee and fewer stadiums.

The World Cup is being co-hosted by two countries for the first time, and Blatter said the tournament was a success on a sporting level.

"It has been an interesting World Cup, not always the best but interesting because of lots of unexpected results," he said. "But if the World Cup is to be co-hosted again, we'll need only 12 stadiums instead of 20. With 20 stadiums, most venues can only host three matches."