The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national football 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, defeating Morocco in the bidding process. It was the second time that France staged the competition (the first was in 1938) and the ninth time that it was held in Europe. Spanning 32 days, it is the longest World Cup tournament ever held.
Host country France
Dates 10 June – 12 July
Teams 32 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s) 10 (in 10 host cities)
Final positions
Champions France (1st title)
Runners-up Brazil
Third place Croatia
Fourth place Netherlands
Tournament statistics
Matches played 64
Goals scored 171 (2.67 per match)
Attendance 2,784,687 (43,511 per match)
Top scorer(s) Davor Šuker (6 goals)
Best player(s) Ronaldo
Best young player Michael Owen
Best goalkeeper Fabien Barthez
Fair play award England
France
← 1994
2002 →
Qualification for the finals began in March 1996 and concluded in November 1997. For the first time in the competition, the group stage was expanded from 24 teams to 32, with eight groups of four. 64 matches were played in 10 stadiums in 10 host cities, with the opening match and final staged at the newly built Stade de France in the Parisian commune of Saint-Denis.
The tournament was won by host country France, who beat defending champions Brazil 3–0 in the final. France won their first title, becoming the seventh nation to win a World Cup, and the sixth (after Uruguay, Italy, England, West Germany and Argentina) to win the tournament on home soil. Croatia, Jamaica, Japan and South Africa made their first appearances in the finals.
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