Background
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th edition of the international football tournament, and was held in France from June 10 to July 12, 1998. It was the first World Cup to be held in France and the second time that the tournament was held in Europe in consecutive editions. The tournament was contested by 32 teams, which were divided into eight groups of four.
Participants
The 32 teams that participated in the tournament were: France (hosts), Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, England, Germany, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tunisia, United States, Yugoslavia.
Format
The teams were divided into eight groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage. The knockout stage featured single-elimination matches, with extra time and penalty shootouts used to decide matches that ended in a draw.
Matches
The tournament featured a total of 64 matches, with the final being held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on July 12, 1998. The final was contested between France and Brazil, with France winning 3-0.
Goalscorers
The top goalscorer of the tournament was Croatia’s Davor Suker, who scored six goals. Other notable goalscorers included Gabriel Batistuta of Argentina and Christian Vieri of Italy, who both scored five goals.
Winner
The winner of the tournament was France, who won their first-ever World Cup title. They defeated Brazil 3-0 in the final, with goals from Zinedine Zidane (2) and Emmanuel Petit.
Legacy
The 1998 FIFA World Cup is widely regarded as one of the most successful in the tournament’s history, with high attendance figures, exciting matches, and memorable moments. It also helped to establish France as a footballing powerhouse, and had a significant impact on the country’s sporting culture.
Controversy
The tournament was not without controversy, particularly in the group stage. One of the most notable incidents occurred in the match between Denmark and South Africa, which ended in a 1-1 draw. The match was later found to have been fixed by a Singaporean betting syndicate, and four South African players were banned for life as a result. There were also complaints about the use of the golden goal rule in the knockout stage, which some felt unfairly favored teams that scored first.
