April – The Renault Laguna is restyled more than four years after its launch. An all-new model is due in the year 2000.
11 May – The first euro coins are minted in Pessac, France. Because the final specifications for the coins were not finished in 1998, they will have to be melted and minted again in 1999.
18 June – France's World Cup quest continues in fine form with a 4–0 win over Saudi Arabia in which Thierry Henry scored twice, with the other goals coming from David Trezeguet and Bixente Lizarazu.
24 June – France are group winners and progress to the last 16 of the World Cup with a 2–1 win over Denmark in which Youri Djorkaeff and Emmanuel Petit score.
28 June – An extra time goal by Laurent Blanc gives France a 1–0 win over Paraguay in the last 16 of the World Cup.
3 July – France win the World Cup quarter final against Italy on penalties after a goalless draw.
8 July – France reach the World Cup final with a semi-final win over Croatia. Defender Lilian Thuram is on the scoresheet twice in a 2–1 win.
12 July – France are football world champions for the first time ever with a 3–0 win over holders Brazil at the Stade de France. Zinedine Zidane scores twice before Emmanuel Petit's injury time goal completes the victory.
10 September – Peugeot launches the all-new 206 supermini, a replacement for the long-running 205. It gives Peugeot a much more modern car to rival the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo.
31 December – The final Peugeot 205 rolls off the assembly line, more than 15 years after production began. It was mostly sold only in France for the last two years of its production, having been one of Europe's best selling cars in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its replacement is the 206, which has been built in France and Britain since the autumn.