Who won the World Cup in 1998?

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What was the format of the 1998 FIFA World Cup?

The number of teams from the previous edition increased in 1998 as the World Cup saw the participation of 32 teams instead of 24. The number of groups were expanded from six to eight and the top two teams from each group qualified for the knockout stage.

Which teams participated in the qualifying round?

A total of 174 teams from six confederations entered the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying round. France as the host nation and Brazil as reigning World Cup champions were granted automatic qualification, with the remaining 30 places divided among the continental confederations.

14 places were available for UEFA (Europe), 4 for CONMEBOL (South America), 5 for CAF (Africa), 3.5 for AFC, 0.5 for OFC (Asia/Oceania), and 3 for CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean).

The teams who eventually played in the World Cup were - Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan (AFC), Cameroon, Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa (CAF), USA, Mexico, Jamaica (CONCACAF), Argentina, Brazil (defending champions), Paraguay, Colombia, Chile (CONMEBOL), Denmark, England, Austria, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Scotland, Croatia, Italy, France (host), Belgium, Romania, Norway, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia (UEFA).

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Who won the 1998 FIFA World Cup?

Les Blues won the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history beating four-time World Cup winner Brazil in the final. A brace by Zinedine Zidane and a goal from Emmanuel Petit helped the hosts outclass the most successful team in the competition's history and keep the trophy in Paris.

There were many firsts in this edition of the World Cup. For the first time in history, an electronic display - instead of the manual one - was used in the tournament to signal substitutions and added time.

There was also a crackdown on harsh tackles from behind in this edition. On March 6, 1998, in its 112th meeting, FIFA decided to make an addition to Law XII. A tackle from behind which endangers the safety of an opponent must be sanctioned as serious foul play.

Acts of serious foul play are punishable by a red card. The same law was implemented in the 16th edition of the World Cup.

The 'Golden Goal' rule was also brought into practice at the World Cup for the first time in this edition.

Who were the top goalscorers at the 1998 FIFA World Cup?

Legendary Croatian forward Davor Suker was the Golden Boot winner, scoring six goals in the tournament.

The 22-man 1998 FIFA World Cup-winning France squad