1998

Notes

First WC with 32 teams (expanded from 24); 8 groups of 4 → R16 → QF → SF → 3rd → Final, the format that has held since. France's first title — Zinedine Zidane scored two headers in the 3-0 final win over Brazil. Brazil's Ronaldo was hospitalised with a mystery seizure hours before the final but played anyway. Croatia, on their first independent WC appearance, finished third with Šuker as Golden Boot. Iran beat USA 2-1 in a politically charged Group F match. Beckham red card vs Argentina cost England in R16. Golden Goal extra-time rule (first goal in ET wins): France-Paraguay decided by Blanc.

📚 Trivia

• firsts1998 was the first WC with 32 teams (expanded from 24). Format: 8 groups of 4 → straight R16 → QF/SF/Final, with no 'best 3rd-place' wildcards. This format remained from 1998 through 2022 — the longest-running structure in WC history.
• finalsZinedine Zidane scored two headers (27', 45') in France's 3-0 win over Brazil in the 1998 final at Stade de France. Petit added a third in the 93rd. France's first World Cup title.
• contextRonaldo collapsed with a seizure hours before the 1998 final and was initially left out of the team sheet. He was reinstated 45 minutes before kickoff under unclear circumstances. Brazil lost 0-3; Ronaldo played but was a shadow of himself. The cause has never been fully explained.
• firstsCroatia, on their first World Cup appearance as an independent nation, finished third — eliminating Germany 3-0 in the QF. Davor Šuker won the Golden Boot with 6 goals. They reached another final in 2018 (lost to France).
• matchesIran 2-1 USA on 21 June 1998 was the first meeting between the two nations in any sport since the 1979 hostage crisis. The political weight made it one of the most-watched matches of the tournament. Iranian players gave the USA team white roses pre-match.