1998 World Cup Final – France 3–0 Brazil

Lore & Background

Founded in 1904, the national team has won two FIFA World Cups, two UEFA European Championships, one CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, two FIFA Confederations Cups and one UEFA Nations League title. France was one of the four European teams that participated in the first World Cup in 1930. Twenty-eight years later, the team led by Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine finished in third place at the 1958 World Cup. France experienced much of its success in three different eras: in the 1980s, the late 1990s to early 2000s, and the late 2010s to early 2020s.

In the early to mid-1980s, under the leadership of the three-time Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini, France won Euro 1984 (its first official title), a CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup (1985), and reached two consecutive World Cup semi-finals (1982 and 1986). During the captaincy of Didier Deschamps, with Zinedine Zidane being the star player, Les Bleus won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. They also won the Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003. Three years later, France made it to the final of the 2006 World Cup, losing 5–3 on penalties to Italy.

A decade later, the team reached the final of Euro 2016, where they lost 1–0 to Portugal in extra time. Two years after that, France won the 2018 World Cup, its second title in that competition. After winning the 2021 Nations League, they became the first, and so far, the only European national team to have won every senior FIFA and UEFA competition. In 2022, France reached a second consecutive World Cup final, losing to Argentina in a penalty shoot-out.

Reader's Guide

The 1998 World Cup Final was played between France and Brazil. France won the match 3–0. The goalscorers for France were Zinedine Zidane (2 goals) and Emmanuel Petit. Petit's goal in the 90th minute was a left-footed shot from a counter-attack, not a header from a corner. France had won a major international trophy before 1998: they won the UEFA European Championship (Euro 1984) as hosts, defeating Spain 2–0 in the final.

Did You Know?

• Emmanuel Petit scored France's third goal in the 1998 World Cup final with a left-footed shot from a counter-attack.
• France is one of two countries, the other being Brazil, to have won every FIFA men's 11-player competition at every age level.