50 Fun Facts About 1998 FIFA World Cup

Which Brazil striker was left off the teamsheet for the 1998 World Cup final, then reinstated before kick-off?

Ronaldo had suffered a convulsive fit that afternoon and spent three hours in hospital. He still won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

Which France midfielder scored two headers from corners in the 3–0 win over Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final?

Zinedine Zidane had earlier become the first French player sent off at a World Cup, for a stamp in the group stage. He missed two matches, then decided the final.

Which nation finished third at the 1998 World Cup in its first appearance as an independent country?

Croatia beat Germany 3–0 in the quarter-finals and the Netherlands in the third-place match, seven years after declaring independence from Yugoslavia.

Which England midfielder was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone in the 1998 World Cup round of 16?

David Beckham flicked a leg at Simeone while lying on the turf after a foul. England went out on penalties, and an effigy of him was hung outside a London pub.

What kind of animal was Footix, the blue official mascot of the 1998 World Cup in France?

A rooster is the traditional symbol of France, and 91% of people surveyed linked Footix to the host nation at once. The '-ix' ending was borrowed from the Astérix comics.

Which Latin pop singer recorded The Cup of Life, the official song of the 1998 World Cup?

Ricky Martin made the song after FIFA asked him for an anthem. It reached number one in 30 countries and topped the French chart for six weeks.

Which France defender beat Paraguay at the 1998 World Cup with the first golden goal in the tournament's history?

Laurent Blanc struck with six minutes of extra time left, which ended the match on the spot. He then missed the final, suspended after the only red card of his international career.

Which team's players bleached their hair blond after qualifying from Group G at the 1998 World Cup?

Romania had won its first two matches, so the squad celebrated with a group dye job while its coach shaved his head. The press nicknamed the team the Bleach Boys.

Which Italy captain at the 1998 World Cup was picked by his own father, the team's head coach?

Paolo Maldini led the side while his father Cesare coached it. Italy did not lose a match, going out to the hosts in a quarter-final penalty shoot-out.

On which Paris street did an estimated 1.5 million people celebrate France winning the 1998 World Cup?

The Champs-Élysées filled overnight as the players' faces were projected onto the Arc de Triomphe. The crowds returned the next day for the team's open-top bus parade.

Which Group A team came from behind to beat Brazil 2–1 at the 1998 World Cup with a late penalty?

Norway trailed with seven minutes left, then scored twice. Kjetil Rekdal's winning penalty took the team past the group stage for the first time.

Which team lost 2–1 to Brazil in the opening match of the 1998 World Cup after a Tom Boyd own goal?

Scotland had levelled through a John Collins penalty before a saved shot rebounded in off Boyd. The team finished bottom of Group A with a single point.

Which South American team reached the 1998 World Cup round of 16 from Group B with three draws and no wins?

Chile conceded an equaliser in all three group matches, yet a record-low three points was enough for second place. Brazil then beat the team 4–1.

Which top seed went out in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup despite beating Bulgaria 6–1?

Spain had lost its opening Group D match 3–2 and then drawn 0–0, so six goals in the last game came too late. Every other top seed won its group.

Which African team won Group D at the 1998 World Cup, then lost 4–1 to Denmark in the round of 16?

Nigeria won its first two matches to take the group with a game to spare. It had arrived as the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, 74th in the world.

Which Group E team went out of the 1998 World Cup unbeaten after drawing all three of its matches?

Belgium needed a big win over South Korea in its last match and managed only a draw. France and Italy were the only other teams not to lose a game.

Which team handed white roses to the United States players before beating them 2–1 at the 1998 World Cup?

Iran offered the flowers as a symbol of peace, and the two squads posed together for a photograph. The Group F result was the country's first World Cup win.

Which debutant nation beat Japan 2–1 in its last Group H match at the 1998 World Cup?

Jamaica won through two Theodore Whitmore goals in Lyon, its first World Cup victory. Three of the four Group H teams were playing in their first finals.

Which debutant nation did France beat 3–0 in the hosts' first match of the 1998 World Cup?

South Africa was playing its first World Cup, six years after being readmitted to world football. It drew its other two Group C matches and went home.

Which Group C team sacked World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira after two matches of the 1998 World Cup?

Saudi Arabia dismissed him after two defeats. He was one of three coaches fired during the tournament, and had led Brazil to the title four years earlier.

Which Cameroon forward, aged 17, was the youngest player named in any squad at the 1998 World Cup?

Samuel Eto'o was 17 years and three months old when he appeared against Italy. The oldest player at the tournament, a goalkeeper, was more than twice his age.

Which club supplied 13 players to the 32 squads at the 1998 World Cup, more than any other?

Barcelona edged out every other club among the 704 players at the tournament. By country, clubs in England supplied the most players, just ahead of Italy and Spain.

Which England midfielder was left out of Glenn Hoddle's 1998 World Cup squad after tabloid photos of late-night kebabs?

Paul Gascoigne wrecked Hoddle's room in a rage on hearing the news and had to be restrained. The photos had appeared a week before the final squad was chosen.

Which Brazil striker, a hero of the 1994 win, was cut from the 1998 World Cup squad with a muscle injury?

Romário was dismissed on the very day squads had to be submitted, after failing to recover in time. He broke down in tears at the press conference that followed.

Which Germany veteran appeared at a record-equalling fifth tournament at the 1998 World Cup after a late call-up?

Lothar Matthäus was called up to replace the injured Matthias Sammer and became the first outfield player at five World Cups. Only a Mexican goalkeeper had done it before.

Which France goalkeeper conceded only two goals in seven matches at the 1998 World Cup and won the Yashin Award?

Fabien Barthez kept five clean sheets, and one of the two goals that beat him was a penalty. Before every match a teammate kissed his shaved head for luck.

Which France head coach won the 1998 World Cup after L'Équipe had argued he was the wrong man for the job?

Aimé Jacquet had angered the press by naming 28 players instead of a final 22. He stepped down straight after the tournament, citing the criticism he had faced.

Which France captain lifted the trophy at the 1998 World Cup, then won it again as head coach in 2018?

Didier Deschamps became the third man to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager. As a hard-working midfielder he was nicknamed the Water-Carrier.

Which Brazil head coach at the 1998 World Cup had already won the trophy twice as a player?

Mário Zagallo had a hand in all four of Brazil's earlier titles: as a player in 1958 and 1962, as manager in 1970 and as assistant in 1994. This time his team lost the final.

Which 20-year-old forward finished as France's top scorer at the 1998 World Cup with three goals?

Thierry Henry arrived with only three caps and scored all his goals in the group stage. He was due to come on in the final, but a red card forced a defensive change instead.

Which striker won the Golden Boot at the 1998 World Cup with six goals, the last in the third-place match?

Davor Šuker scored his six goals in seven matches and finished a goal clear of two rivals. He was runner-up in that year's Ballon d'Or voting.

Which 18-year-old England striker ran from the halfway line to score against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup?

Michael Owen had made his England debut only months earlier, as the country's youngest player of the 20th century. His tournament made him one of the most sought-after players in football.

Which Netherlands forward controlled a long pass and scored a late winner against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup?

Dennis Bergkamp killed Frank de Boer's 60-yard pass with one touch, took the ball past a defender with his second, then volleyed in with the outside of his right foot.

Which France right-back scored both goals in the 2–1 semi-final win at the 1998 World Cup, his only international goals?

Lilian Thuram had been caught out of position for the goal that put France behind, then scored twice to win the match. He retired with 142 caps, at the time a French record.

Which Arsenal midfielder scored France's third goal in the 1998 World Cup final with the last kick of the match?

Emmanuel Petit was put through on a counterattack by his club teammate Patrick Vieira. His goal was the 1,000th in the history of the France national team.

Which France defender was sent off for a second yellow card in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil?

Marcel Desailly was only the third player dismissed in a World Cup final, and the first to finish on the winning side. France saw out the last 22 minutes with ten men.

Which Italy forward scored a penalty at the 1998 World Cup, four years after his famous miss in the final?

Roberto Baggio's equaliser from the spot made him the first Italian to score at three World Cups. He also converted his kick in the quarter-final shoot-out, which Italy still lost.

Which Argentina striker's hat-trick at the 1998 World Cup made him the first to score one at two tournaments?

Gabriel Batistuta had also scored three against Greece in 1994. He finished the 1998 tournament with five goals, one short of the Golden Boot.

Which England midfielder had the decisive penalty saved in the 1998 World Cup shoot-out against Argentina?

David Batty said afterwards that it was the first penalty he had ever taken. The Argentine goalkeeper had already saved one England kick earlier in the shoot-out.

Which Brazil captain at the 1998 World Cup was playing his club football in Japan's J.League?

Dunga had been with Júbilo Iwata since 1995, in a league then seen as a lower standard. He still scored Brazil's fourth penalty in the semi-final shoot-out.

Which newly built stadium in Saint-Denis hosted both the opening match and the final of the 1998 World Cup?

The Stade de France was built on the site of an old gasworks. Fears of an explosion meant it went up without undersoil heating.

What name did Adidas give the official match ball of the 1998 World Cup?

Tricolore means three-coloured, a nod to the host nation's flag. It was the first multi-coloured World Cup ball and the last to carry the Tango design Adidas introduced in 1978.

Which Gloria Gaynor disco hit became the unofficial anthem of France's players during the 1998 World Cup?

I Will Survive was 20 years old when the squad took it up, chanting along to its instrumental hook. The win gave the song a second life with a younger generation of French fans.

Which French president attended the 1998 World Cup final and hosted the winning team at a Bastille Day garden party?

Jacques Chirac had also helped decide where the final was played. As mayor of Paris, he negotiated the deal that put the new national stadium in Saint-Denis.

Which African country did France beat by 12 votes to 7 for the right to host the 1998 World Cup?

Morocco was the only rival left after Switzerland withdrew, unable to meet FIFA's requirements. England had pulled out earlier to bid for Euro 1996 instead.

Which French football great, co-head of the 1998 World Cup organising committee, later admitted the draw was fixed?

Michel Platini said in 2018 that France and Brazil were placed so they could not meet before the final if both won their groups. He called it a bit of trickery.

Which FIFA general secretary conducted the 1998 World Cup draw and was elected FIFA president two days before kick-off?

Sepp Blatter won the vote on 8 June 1998 to succeed a president who had led FIFA since 1974. He stayed in the job until 2015.

Which Euro 1996 runners-up, ranked third in the world, failed to qualify for the 1998 World Cup?

The Czech Republic finished only third in its qualifying group, two years after losing the European final to a golden goal. No higher-ranked team missed the tournament.

Which coach led a fourth different nation at a fourth straight tournament at the 1998 World Cup?

Bora Milutinović had coached Mexico, Costa Rica and the United States at the previous three tournaments. He made it five nations in a row with China in 2002.

Which Mexico forward hopped past defenders with the ball trapped between his feet at the 1998 World Cup?

Cuauhtémoc Blanco's jump became known as the Cuauhtemiña. It was later added to the FIFA video games as a special skill.