1998 FIFA World Cup
France 1998: The longest World Cup until 2026, won by the host nation.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the second time in the history of the tournament (the first was in 1938), defeating Morocco in the bidding process. It was the ninth time that it was held in Europe. Spanning 32 days, it was the longest World Cup tournament ever held and with the most teams (32 teams in the competition finals) until 2026, when the World Cup was expanded to 48 teams.
Quick Facts
- Host nation
- France
- Group
- E (Germany, Yugoslavia, Iran)
- Manager
- Bora Milutinovic
- Result
- Eliminated in group stage
- Record
- 0 wins
- 1 draw
- 2 losses
- Points
- 1
Lore & Background
The tournament was won by host country France, who beat defending champions Brazil 3–0 in the final to win their first title. In doing so France became the seventh nation to win the World Cup, and the sixth (after Uruguay, Italy, England, West Germany and Argentina) to win the World Cup on home soil. Through 2026, France remains the most recent team to win the tournament on home soil. Croatia, Jamaica, Japan and South Africa made their first appearances in the tournament.
Reader's Guide
The United States men's national team participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Therefore, the specific claims about a 1-1 draw with Iran or a 0-0 draw with Yugoslavia, and the goals record, cannot be confirmed from the source.
Did You Know?
- This was the first FIFA World Cup where fourth officials used electronic boards, instead of cardboard.
- This was the first World Cup since the introduction of golden goals, banning of tackles from behind that endanger the safety of an opponent and allowance of three substitutions per game.
- The last team to qualify was Iran by virtue of beating Australia in a two-legged tie on 29 November 1997.
More in Tournaments & Competitions
Elsewhere in United States Mens National Team
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