The 1998 Football World Cup Tournament was held from June 10 through July 12 at various venues throughout France. For match results and statistics, see Football World Cup 1998. 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The 1998 Football World Cup was held in France. ...

The tournament opened with 1994 World Cup champions Brazil's 2-1 victory over Scotland. Norway pulled the shock of Group A, topping the holders 2-1 after two late goals. Still, both teams advanced to the next round. Italy easily won Group B, with Chile's three draws enough for them to get through. The Italy-Chile clash which ended 2-2 saw Italy's Roberto Baggio cast aside the spectre of his miss in the penalty shootout in the final 4 years earlier: this time around his spot-kick earned Italy a draw. The 1994 Football World Cup was held in the USA. It was won by Brazil, who beat Italy 3-2 on penalties, after the game and extra time ended 0-0. ... First International Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) Worst defeat Uruguay 7 - 0 Scotland (Basel, Switzerland; 19 June 1954) World Cup Appearances 8 (First in 1954) Best result Round 1, all European Championship Appearances 2 (First... Roberto Baggio (born February 18, 1967, in Caldogno, Italy) is an Italian football player, considered to be among the best forwards in the world throughout the 1990s. ...

France swept Group C, with the lone blemish being the red card explusion and two-game suspension of Zinedine Zidane in a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. Denmark also moved on from the group. Nigeria was the surprise winner of Group D, dubbed the Group of Death, as Spain once again failed to live up to high pre-cup expecations. Nigeria beat them 3-2 in a thrilling game and moved on to the next round together with Paraguay. Zinedine Zidane playing for Real Madrid Zinédine Yazid Zidane (born June 23, 1972, in Marseille, France), nicknamed Zizou, is a French football player for Real Madrid and formerly France. ...

Netherlands and Mexico moved on from Group E, a group that saw four games end in draws. Germany and Yugoslavia made easy work of Group F. First International Brazil 2 - 0 Yugoslavia (Porto Alegre, Brazil; 23 December 1994) Serbia and Montenegro 2 - 2 Azerbaijan (Podgorica, S&M; 12 February 2003) Largest win Faroe Islands 1 - 8 Yugoslavia (Toftir, Faroe Islands; 6 October 1996) Worst defeat Netherlands 6 - 1 Yugoslavia (Rotterdam, Netherlands; 25 June 2000) Czech Republic...

A late goal for Romania saw them beat England 2-1 and take the top spot in Group G; the English finished second. Argentina swept Group H, joined by Croatia in the second round. First International Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 11 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First...

In the second round, Italy beat Norway 1-0 and Brazil made easy work of Chile, 4-1. Laurent Blanc of France scored the first Golden Goal in World Cup history as the hosts beat Paraguay, 1-0. Denmark surprised Nigeria, crushing them 4-1. Germany beat Mexico and Netherlands topped Yugoslavia by identical 2-1 scores. Croatia upset Romania 1-0. Perhaps the best game of the tournament saw Argentina beat England on penalties after tying them 2-2 in a game that saw a wondergoal from 18-year-old Michael Owen. The game was marred by England's David Beckham being sent off after kicking Diego Simeone. Laurent Blanc (born November 19, 1965 in Ales) is a French football defender, who scored the first golden goal in World Cup history in the 1998 World Cup. ... The Golden goal was a method used in football (soccer) to decide the result of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of ordinary time (90 minutes). ... Michael Owen at the Santiago Bernabéu. ... David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham OBE (born May 2, 1975) is an English footballer born in Leytonstone, London. ... Diego Pablo Simeone (born April 28, 1970 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine football midfielder, he is the most capped player ever for Argentina. ...

France beat Italy in the quarterfinals on penalties after a scoreless draw. Brazil topped Denmark 3-2 in an exciting game. A late goal from Dennis Bergkamp of the Netherlands eliminated Argentina, 2-1. Croatia pulled perhaps the biggest shocker of the tournament, crushing Germany 3-0. Dennis Bergkamp (born May 10, 1969 in Amsterdam) is a former Dutch international football player. ...

In the semifinals, Patrick Kluivert equalized late for the Netherlands to make it 1-1, but the Dutch couldn't pull it out in the penalty shootout, sending Brazil to the final. They were joined by France, as defender Lilian Thuram scored two goals to offset Golden Boot winner Davor Šuker's opener for Croatia. The Croats beat the Dutch for third place. Patrick Kluivert (born July 1, 1976 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch international football striker who is currently without a club after being released by Newcastle United on May 21, 2005. ... Lilian Thuram (born January 1, 1972 in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe) is a French football player. ... The World Cup Golden Boot is the award given to the top goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup. ... Davor Å uker (born January 1, 1968 in Osijek, Yugoslavia) was a Croatian football player, the Golden Boot winner at the 1998 World Cup. ...

In the final, Zinedine Zidane took over. He scored two goals, with Emmanuel Petit adding one late to give France a 3-0 win over Brazil and their first World Cup title. Emmanuel Petit (born September 22, 1970 in Dieppe, France) is a former football player. ... The Football World Cup (official name: FIFA World Cup) is the most important competition in international football (soccer). ...