1998 FIFA World Cup qualification

1998 FIFA World Cup qualificationTournament details

Dates| 10 March 1996 – 29 November 1997
Teams| 174 (from 6 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played| 643
Goals scored| 1,922 (2.99 per match)
Top scorer(s)|  Karim Bagheri
(19 goals)

<- 1994

2002 ->

International football competition

The 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe) — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. 174 teams entered the qualification rounds, while two places were reserved for France and Brazil as host nation and defending champions, respectively.

## Qualified teams

[edit]

Country qualified for World Cup

Country failed to qualify

Country did not enter World Cup

Country not a FIFA member

Team  | Method of
qualification  | Date of
qualification  | Finals
appearance  | Last
appearance  | Consecutive
finals
appearances  | Previous best
performance  | FIFA ranking
at start of event[1]

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

France | Host | 2 July 1992 | 10th | 1986 | 1 | Third place (1958, 1986) | 18
Brazil | 1994 FIFA World Cup winners | 17 July 1994 | 16th | 1994 | 16 | Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994) | 1
Nigeria | CAF final round group 1 winners | 7 June 1997 | 2nd | 1994 | 2 | Round of 16 (1994) | 74
Tunisia | CAF final round group 2 winners | 8 June 1997 | 2nd | 1978 | 1 | Group stage (1978) | 21
Morocco | CAF final round group 5 winners | 8 June 1997 | 4th | 1994 | 2 | Round of 16 (1986) | 13
South Africa | CAF final round group 3 winners | 16 August 1997 | 1st | — | 1 | — | 24
Cameroon | CAF final round group 4 winners | 17 August 1997 | 4th | 1994 | 3 | Quarter-finals (1990) | 49
Romania | UEFA group 8 winners | 18 August 1997 | 7th | 1994 | 3 | Quarter-finals (1994) | 22
Norway | UEFA group 3 winners | 6 September 1997 | 3rd | 1994 | 2 | *First round (1938, 1994) | 7
Bulgaria | UEFA group 5 winners | 10 September 1997 | 7th | 1994 | 2 | Fourth place (1994) | 35
Argentina | CONMEBOL winners | 10 September 1997 | 12th | 1994 | 7 | Winners (1978, 1986) | 6
Colombia | CONMEBOL 3rd place | 10 September 1997 | 4th | 1994 | 3 | Round of 16 (1990) | 10
Paraguay | CONMEBOL 2nd place | 10 September 1997 | 5th | 1986 | 1 | Round of 16 (1986) | 29
Denmark | UEFA group 1 winners | 11 October 1997 | 2nd | 1986 | 1 | Round of 16 (1986) | 27
England | UEFA group 2 winners | 11 October 1997 | 10th | 1990 | 1 | Winners (1966) | 5
Austria | UEFA group 4 winners | 11 October 1997 | 7th | 1990 | 1 | Third place (1954) | 31
Spain | UEFA group 6 winners | 11 October 1997 | 10th | 1994 | 6 | Fourth place (1950) | 15
Netherlands | UEFA group 7 winners | 11 October 1997 | 7th | 1994 | 3 | Runners-up (1974, 1978) | 25
Germany | UEFA group 9 winners | 11 October 1997 | 14th | 1994 | 12 | Winners (1954, 1974, 1990) | 2
Scotland | UEFA group 4 runners-up | 11 October 1997 | 8th | 1990 | 1 | Group stage (1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990) | 41
Mexico | CONCACAF fourth round winners | 12 October 1997 | 11th | 1994 | 2 | Quarter-finals (1970, 1986) | 4
South Korea | AFC final round group B winners | 18 October 1997 | 5th | 1994 | 4 | Group stage (1954, 1986, 1990, 1994) | 20
United States | CONCACAF fourth round 2nd place | 9 November 1997 | 6th | 1994 | 3 | Third place (1930) | 11
Saudi Arabia | AFC final round group A winners | 12 November 1997 | 2nd | 1994 | 2 | Round of 16 (1994) | 34
Croatia | UEFA play-off winners | 15 November 1997 | 1st | — | 1 | — | 19
Italy | UEFA play-off winners | 15 November 1997 | 14th | 1994 | 10 | Winners (1934, 1938, 1982) | 14
Belgium | UEFA play-off winners | 15 November 1997 | 10th | 1994 | 5 | Fourth place (1986) | 36
FR Yugoslavia | UEFA play-off winners | 15 November 1997 | 9th | 1990 | 1 | Fourth place (1930, 1962) | 8
Japan | AFC play-off winners | 16 November 1997 | 1st | — | 1 | — | 12
Jamaica | CONCACAF fourth round 3rd place | 16 November 1997 | 1st | — | 1 | — | 30
Chile | CONMEBOL 4th place | 16 November 1997 | 7th | 1982 | 1 | Third place (1962) | 9
Iran | AFC v OFC play-off winners | 29 November 1997 | 2nd | 1978 | 1 | Group stage (1978) | 42

* Norway was eliminated from the group stage of the 1994 World Cup, while they exited the 1938 tournament in the first round of what was then a pure knockout tournament.

## Qualification process

[edit]

The distribution by confederation for the 1998 FIFA World Cup was:

* AFC (Asia): 3 or 4 places
* CAF (Africa): 5 places
* CONCACAF (North America): 3 places
* CONMEBOL (South America): 4 places (+ Brazil qualified automatically as 1994 FIFA World Cup winners for a total of 5 places)
* OFC (Oceania): 0 or 1 place(s)
* UEFA (Europe): 14 places (+ France qualified automatically as host nation for a total of 15 places)

## Confederation qualification

[edit]

### AFC

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

A total of 36 teams entered the competition. The Asian zone was allocated 3.5 places (out of 32) in the final tournament.

There were three rounds of play:

* First round: The 36 teams were divided into 10 groups of 3 or 4 teams each. The teams played against each other twice, except in Group 10, where the teams played against each other once. The group winners would advance to the final round.
* Final round: The 10 teams were divided into 2 groups of 5 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify. The runners-up would advance to the AFC play-off.
* Play-off: The two teams played against each other once in Malaysia. The winner would qualify. The loser would advance to the AFC–OFC intercontinental play-offs.

Legend

Countries that qualified for the 1998 World Cup
Countries that advanced to the Play-off for third place

#### Final positions (final Round)

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) § Final round

Group A | Group B

|

| Team  | Pld  | Pts

|
|

Saudi Arabia | 8 | 14
Iran | 8 | 12
China | 8 | 11
Qatar | 8 | 10
Kuwait | 8 | 8
| Team  | Pld  | Pts

|
|

South Korea | 8 | 19
Japan | 8 | 13
United Arab Emirates | 8 | 9
Uzbekistan | 8 | 6
Kazakhstan | 8 | 6

#### Play-off for 3rd place

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) § Play-off

Team 1  | Score  | Team 2

|
|

Iran | 2–3 (a.e.t.) |  Japan

### CAF

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

A total of 38 CAF teams entered the competition. However, Mali and Niger both withdrew before the draw was made. The African Zone was allocated five places (out of 32) in the final tournament.

There would be two rounds of play:

* First round: Cameroon, Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt, the four highest-ranked teams according to FIFA, received byes and advanced to the final round directly. The remaining 32 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the final round.
* Final round: The 20 teams were divided into five groups of four teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify.

Legend

Countries that qualified for the 1998 World Cup

#### Final positions (final round)

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) § Final round

Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3

|
|

| Team  | Pld  | Pts

|
|

Nigeria | 6 | 13
Guinea | 6 | 12
Kenya | 6 | 10
Burkina Faso | 6 | 0
| Team  | Pld  | Pts

|
|

Tunisia | 6 | 16
Egypt | 6 | 10
Liberia | 6 | 4
Namibia | 6 | 4
| Team  | Pld  | Pts

|
|

South Africa | 6 | 13
Congo | 6 | 10
Zambia | 6 | 8
DR Congo | 6 | 2
Group 4 | Group 5
| Team  | Pld  | Pts

|
|

Cameroon | 6 | 14
Angola | 6 | 10
Zimbabwe | 6 | 4
Togo | 6 | 4
| Team  | Pld  | Pts

|
|

Morocco | 6 | 16
Sierra Leone | 5 | 7
Ghana | 6 | 6
Gabon | 5 | 1

### CONCACAF

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)

John Harkes playing for the United States in a fourth round qualifying match against Mexico on April 20, 1997

A total of 30 CONCACAF teams entered the competition. Mexico, the US, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Canada, the six highest-ranked teams according to FIFA, received byes and advanced to the third round directly. The remaining 24 teams were divided into two zones, based on geographical locations, as follows:

* Caribbean Zone: The 20 teams played in three rounds of knockout matches on a home-and-away basis to determine four winners advancing to the third round.
* Central American Zone: The four teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the third round.

In the third round, the 12 teams were divided into three groups of four teams each. They played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners and runners-up would advance to the final round.

In the final round, the six teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The top three teams would qualify.

Legend

Countries that qualified for the 1998 World Cup

#### Final positions (fourth round)

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round

Team  | Pld  | Pts

|
|

Mexico | 10 | 18
United States | 10 | 17
Jamaica | 10 | 14
Costa Rica | 10 | 12
El Salvador | 10 | 10
Canada | 10 | 6

### CONMEBOL

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)

A total of 10 CONMEBOL teams entered the competition. The South American zone was allocated 5 places (out of 32) in the final tournament. Brazil, the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 4 spots open for competition between 9 teams.

The rules were very simple. The 9 teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The top 4 teams would qualify.

Legend

Countries that qualified for the 1998 World Cup

#### Final positions

[edit]

Team  | Pld  | Pts

|
|

Argentina | 16 | 30
Paraguay | 16 | 29
Colombia | 16 | 28
Chile | 16 | 25
Peru | 16 | 25
Ecuador | 16 | 21
Uruguay | 16 | 21
Bolivia | 16 | 17
Venezuela | 16 | 3

### OFC

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)

A total of 10 teams entered the competition. The Oceanian zone was allocated 0.5 places (out of 32) in the final tournament.

There were three rounds of play:

* First round: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tahiti, the four best ranked teams according to FIFA, received byes and advanced to the second round directly. The remaining 6 teams were divided into 2 groups of 3 teams each, namely the Melanesian Group and the Polynesian Group, based on geographical considerations. The teams played against each other once. The winner of the Melanesian Group would advance to the second round. The runner-up of the Melanesian Group and the winner of the Polynesian Group would advance to the first round play-off. In the play-off, they played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would advance to the second round.
* Second round: The 6 teams were divided into 2 groups of 3 teams each. The teams played against each other twice. The group winners would advance to the final round.
* Final round: The 2 teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would advance to the AFC / OFC intercontinental play-off.

#### Final positions (third round)

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC) § Final round

Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

|
|
|
|

New Zealand | 0–5  |  Australia | 0–3 | 0–2

### UEFA

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)

A total of 50 UEFA teams entered the competition. The European zone was allocated 15 places (out of 32) in the final tournament. France, the hosts, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition between 49 teams.

The 49 teams were divided into nine groups, four groups of six teams and five groups of five teams. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify. The runners-up would be ranked according to their records against the 1st, 3rd and 4th-placed team in their groups, and the team with the best record would also qualify. The remaining runners-up would advance to the UEFA Play-offs.

In the play-offs, the 8 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would qualify.

Legend

Countries that qualified for the 1998 World Cup
Countries that advanced to the Play-offs

#### Final positions (first round)

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) § First round

Group 1 | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|

Denmark | 8  | 17
Croatia | 8  | 15
Greece | 8  | 14
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8  | 9
Slovenia | 8  | 1

Source: [2]

Group 2 | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|

England | 8  | 19
Italy | 8  | 18
Poland | 8  | 10
Georgia | 8  | 10
Moldova | 8  | 0

Source: [2]

Group 3 | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|

Norway | 8  | 20
Hungary | 8  | 12
Finland | 8  | 11
Switzerland | 8  | 10
Azerbaijan | 8  | 3

Source: [2]

Group 4 | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|

Austria | 10  | 25
Scotland | 10  | 23
Sweden | 10  | 21
Latvia | 10  | 10
Estonia | 10  | 4
Belarus | 10  | 4

Source: [2]

Group 5 | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|

Bulgaria | 8  | 18
Russia | 8  | 17
Israel | 8  | 13
Cyprus | 8  | 10
Luxembourg | 8  | 0

Source: [2]

Group 6 | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|

Spain | 10  | 26
FR Yugoslavia | 10  | 23
Czech Republic | 10  | 16
Slovakia | 10  | 16
Faroe Islands | 10  | 6
Malta | 10  | 0

Source: [2]

Group 7 | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|

Netherlands | 8  | 19
Belgium | 8  | 18
Turkey | 8  | 14
Wales | 8  | 7
San Marino | 8  | 0

Source: [2]

Group 8 | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|

Romania | 10  | 28
Republic of Ireland | 10  | 18
Lithuania | 10  | 17
Macedonia | 10  | 13
Iceland | 10  | 9
Liechtenstein | 10  | 0

Source: [2]

Group 9 | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | Pts

|
|

Germany | 10  | 22
Ukraine | 10  | 20
Portugal | 10  | 19
Armenia | 10  | 8
Northern Ireland | 10  | 7
Albania | 10  | 4

Source: [2]

#### Play-offs

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)

Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

|
|
|
|

Croatia | 3–1  |  Ukraine | 2–0 | 1–1
Russia | 1–2  |  Italy | 1–1 | 0–1
Republic of Ireland | 2–3  |  Belgium | 1–1 | 1–2
Hungary | 1–12  |  FR Yugoslavia | 1–7 | 0–5

## Inter-confederation play-offs: AFC v OFC

[edit]

Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–OFC play-off)

It was a two-legged home-and-away tie between the winners of the Oceania qualifying tournament, Australia, and the losing team in the AFC play-off from the Asian qualifying tournament, Iran. The games were played on 22 and 29 November 1997 in Tehran and Melbourne respectively. Australia was hoping to play in the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974 and Iran in 1978. The second game is known in Iran as the Saga of Melbourne.

Team 1  | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2  | 1st leg  | 2nd leg

|
|
|
|

Iran | 3–3 (a)  |  Australia | 1–1 | 2–2

## Top goalscorers

[edit]

19 goals

* Karim Bagheri

14 goals

* Kazuyoshi Miura
* Predrag Mijatović

12 goals

* Iván Zamorano

11 goals

* Marcelo Salas
* Carlos Hermosillo

6 goals

* Raúl Díaz Arce
* Ali Daei
* Choi Yong-soo
* Savo Milošević

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "FIFA/Coca Cola World Ranking (20 May 1998)". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 27 January 2012. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) 1998, football - table and standings". soccer365.me. Retrieved 9 May 2024.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

* FIFA World Cup official site - 1998 World Cup qualification Archived 2007-03-20 at the Wayback Machine
* RSSSF - 1998 World Cup Qualification

* v
* t
* e

1998 FIFA World Cup qualification

« 1994

2002 »

AFC|

* First round
* Second round
* Third round (play-off)

CAF|

* First round
* Final round

CONCACAF|

* Preliminary round
* First round
* Second round
* Third round
* Fourth round

CONMEBOL|

* Group round

OFC|

* First round
* Second round
* Third round

UEFA|

* First round
* Group 1
* Group 2
* Group 3
* Group 4
* Estonia v Scotland
* Group 5
* Group 6
* Group 7
* Group 8
* Group 9
* Second round (play-offs)

Play-offs|

* AFC v OFC

* v
* t
* e

FIFA World Cup

Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA)

Tournaments|

* Uruguay 1930
* Italy 1934
* France 1938
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* Sweden 1958
* Chile 1962
* England 1966
* Mexico 1970
* West Germany 1974
* Argentina 1978
* Spain 1982
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* Italy 1990
* United States 1994
* France 1998
* South Korea / Japan 2002
* Germany 2006
* South Africa 2010
* Brazil 2014
* Russia 2018
* Qatar 2022
* Canada / Mexico / United States 2026
* Morocco / Portugal / Spain 20301
* Saudi Arabia 2034

Qualification|

* 19302
* 1934
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* 1950
* 1954
* 1958
* 1962
* 1966
* 1970
* 1974
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* 1982
* 1986
* 1990
* 1994
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* 2026

Finals|

* 1930
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* 1938
* 19503
* 1954
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Squads|

* 1930
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Final draw|

* 1998
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* 2010
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Broadcasters|

* 1998
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Bids|

* 2014
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* 2026
* 2030
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Officials|

* 2010
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Team appearances|

* AFC
* CAF
* CONCACAF
* CONMEBOL
* OFC
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Other records|

* Overall records and statistics
* Player records
* winners
* top appearances
* red cards
* Goalscorer records
* top
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* own goals
* Manager records
* winners
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* Match records
* opening
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Miscellaneous|

* Awards
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* Films
* History
* Mascots
* Music
* Notable matches
* nicknamed
* qualifying
* Referees
* Stadiums
* finals
* Trophy
* Video games
* World Champions Cup

* 1 Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will host the inaugural games
* 2 There was no qualification for the 1930 World Cup as places were given by invitation only.
* 3 No final held; the article is about the decisive match of the final group stage.

* * *

* Category
* Commons

*[Agg.]: Aggregate score
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pld]: Played
*[Pts]: Points