The 2002 Little League World Series took place between August 16 and August 25 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Valley Sports American Little League of Pleasure Ridge Park, a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky, defeated Sendai Higashi Little League of Sendai, Japan, in the championship game of the 56th Little League World Series (LLWS).

Notable players included 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Austin Dillon, a member of the Clemmons, North Carolina, Little League representing the Southeast region. Current hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies AA affiliate, Hartford Yard Goats, Zach Osborne was the tournament MVP for the U.S. and World Champion Valley Sports American Little League.

At the beginning of the 2002 tournament the Little League organization retired uniform number 11 for all teams playing in the LLWS from that year forward in honour of Fire Department of New York firefighter Michael Cammarata, a victim of the September 11, 2001 attacks, who had worn that number during the 1991 LLWS.

Between five and twelve teams take part in 16 regional qualification tournaments, which vary in format depending on region. In the United States, the qualification tournaments are in the same format as the Little League World Series itself: a round-robin tournament followed by an elimination round to determine the regional champion.

The top two teams in each pool move on to their respective semifinals. The winners of each met on August 25 to play for the Little League world championship.

August 16

August 17

August 18