View source for 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification

{{Infobox international football competition
| tourney_name   = 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
| year           = 
| alt            = 
| caption        = 
| host countries = 
| dates          = {{nowrap|10 March 1996 – 29 November 1997}}
| num_teams      = 174
| confederations = 6
| matches        = 643
| goals          = 1922
| attendance     = 
| top_scorer     = {{flagicon|IRN}} [[Karim Bagheri]]<br />(19 goals)
| prevseason     = [[1994 FIFA World Cup qualification|1994]]
| nextseason     = [[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification|2002]]
}}
The '''1998 FIFA World Cup qualification''' competition was a series of tournaments organised by the six [[FIFA]] [[FIFA#Structure|confederations]]. Each confederation — the [[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]] (Asia), [[Confederation of African Football|CAF]] (Africa), [[CONCACAF]] (North, Central America and Caribbean), [[CONMEBOL]] (South America), [[Oceania Football Confederation|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 national football team|France]] and [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] as host nation and defending champions, respectively.

==Qualified teams==
[[File:1998 world cup qualification.png|thumb|center|700px|{{legend|#0000ff|Country qualified for World Cup}} {{legend|#ffcc00|Country failed to qualify}} {{legend|#000000|Country did not enter World Cup}} {{legend|#e0e0e0|Country not a FIFA member}}]]

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: left;"
|-
! Team
! Method of<br />qualification
! Date of<br />qualification
! Finals<br />appearance
! Last<br />appearance
! Consecutive<br />finals<br />appearances
! Previous best<br />performance
! [[FIFA World Rankings|FIFA ranking]]<br />at start of event<ref>{{cite web|title=FIFA/Coca Cola World Ranking (20 May 1998)|url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/rank=50/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222025820/http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/rank=50/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 22, 2016|work=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |date=27 January 2012}}</ref>
|-
|{{fb|FRA|1974}} || Host || 2 July 1992 || 10th || [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]] || 1 || Third place ([[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]], [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]) || 18
|-
|{{fb|BRA}} || [[1994 FIFA World Cup]] winners || 17 July 1994 || 16th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 16 || '''Winners''' ([[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]], [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]], [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]) || 1
|-
|{{fb|NGA}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Group 1|CAF final round group 1]] winners || 7 June 1997 || 2nd || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 2 || Round of 16 ([[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]) || 74
|-
|{{fb|TUN|1959}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Group 2|CAF final round group 2]] winners || 8 June 1997 || 2nd || [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]] || 1 || Group stage ([[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]]) || 21
|-
|{{fb|MAR}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Group 5|CAF final round group 5]] winners || 8 June 1997 || 4th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 2 || Round of 16 ([[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]) || 13
|-
|{{fb|RSA}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Group 3|CAF final round group 3]] winners || 16 August 1997 || 1st || — || 1 || — || 24
|-
|{{fb|CMR}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Group 4|CAF final round group 4]] winners || 17 August 1997 || 4th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 3 || Quarter-finals ([[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]) || 49
|-
|{{fb|ROU}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8|UEFA group 8]] winners || 18 August 1997 || 7th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 3 || Quarter-finals ([[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]) || 22
|-
|{{fb|NOR}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3|UEFA group 3]] winners || 6 September 1997 || 3rd || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 2 || *First round ([[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]) || 7
|-
|{{fb|BUL}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5|UEFA group 5]] winners || 10 September 1997 || 7th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 2 || Fourth place ([[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]) || 35
|-
|{{fb|ARG}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|CONMEBOL]] winners || 10 September 1997 || 12th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 7 || '''Winners''' ([[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]], [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]) || 6
|-
|{{fb|COL}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|CONMEBOL]] 3rd place || 10 September 1997 || 4th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 3 || Round of 16 ([[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]) || 10
|-
|{{fb|PAR|1990}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|CONMEBOL]] 2nd place || 10 September 1997 || 5th || [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]] || 1 || Round of 16 ([[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]) || 29
|-
|{{fb|DEN}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1|UEFA group 1]] winners || 11 October 1997 || 2nd || [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]] || 1 || Round of 16 ([[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]) || 27
|-
|{{fb|ENG}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2|UEFA group 2]] winners || 11 October 1997 || 10th || [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]] || 1 || '''Winners''' ([[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]]) || 5
|-
|{{fb|AUT}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4|UEFA group 4]] winners || 11 October 1997 || 7th || [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]] || 1 || Third place ([[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]]) || 31
|-
|{{fb|ESP}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6|UEFA group 6]] winners || 11 October 1997 || 10th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 6 || Fourth place ([[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]]) || 15
|-
|{{fb|NED}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7|UEFA group 7]] winners || 11 October 1997 || 7th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 3 || Runners-up ([[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]]) || 25
|-
|{{fb|GER}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 9|UEFA group 9]] winners || 11 October 1997 || 14th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 12 || '''Winners''' ([[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]) || 2
|-
|{{fb|SCO}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4|UEFA group 4]] runners-up || 11 October 1997 || 8th || [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]] || 1 || Group stage ([[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]], [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]], [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]], [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]) || 41
|-
|{{fb|MEX}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round|CONCACAF fourth round]] winners || 12 October 1997 || 11th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 2 || Quarter-finals ([[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]) || 4
|-
|{{fb|KOR|1997}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Group B|AFC final round group B]] winners || 18 October 1997 || 5th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 4 || Group stage ([[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]], [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]], [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]) || 20
|-
|{{fb|USA}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round|CONCACAF fourth round]] 2nd place || 9 November 1997 || 6th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 3 || Third place ([[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]]) || 11
|-
|{{fb|KSA}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Group A|AFC final round group A]] winners || 12 November 1997 || 2nd || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 2 || Round of 16 ([[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]) || 34
|-
|{{fb|CRO}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)|UEFA play-off]] winners || 15 November 1997 || 1st || — || 1 || — || 19
|-
|{{fb|ITA}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)|UEFA play-off]] winners || 15 November 1997 || 14th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 10 || '''Winners''' ([[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]]) || 14
|-
|{{fb|BEL}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)|UEFA play-off]] winners || 15 November 1997 || 10th || [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] || 5 || Fourth place ([[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]) || 36
|-
|{{fb|Federal Republic of Yugoslavia}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)|UEFA play-off]] winners || 15 November 1997 || 9th || [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]] || 1 || Fourth place ([[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]], [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]]) || 8
|-
|{{fb|JPN|1870}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Play-off|AFC play-off]] winners || 16 November 1997 || 1st || — || 1 || — || 12
|-
|{{fb|JAM}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round|CONCACAF fourth round]] 3rd place || 16 November 1997 || 1st || — || 1 || — || 30
|-
|{{fb|CHI}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|CONMEBOL]] 4th place || 16 November 1997 || 7th || [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]] || 1 || Third place ([[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]]) || 9
|-
|{{fb|IRN}} || [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–OFC play-off)|AFC v OFC play-off]] winners || 29 November 1997 || 2nd || [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]] || 1 || Group stage ([[1978 FIFA World Cup|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==
The distribution by confederation for the 1998 FIFA World Cup was:
* [[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]] (Asia): 3 or 4 places
* [[Confederation of African Football|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)
* [[Oceania Football Confederation|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==
===AFC===
{{main|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.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Legend
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
|Countries that qualified for the 1998 World Cup
|- bgcolor=#BBF3FF
|Countries that advanced to the [[#Play-off for 3rd place|Play-off for third place]]
|}

====Final positions (final Round)====
{{main|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Final round}}
{|
|-
![[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Group A|Group A]]
![[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Group B|Group B]]
|-
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!  style="width:165px; text-align:left;"|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#CCFFCC;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|KSA}}
|8||'''14'''
|- style="background:#BBF3FF;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|IRN}}
|8||'''12'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|CHN}}
|8||'''11'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|QAT}}
|8||'''10'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|KUW}}
|8||'''8'''
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!  style="width:165px; text-align:left;"|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#CCFFCC;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|KOR|1997}}
|8||'''19'''
|- style="background:#BBF3FF;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|JPN|1870}}
|8||'''13'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|UAE}}
|8||'''9'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|UZB}}
|8||'''6'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|KAZ}}
|8||'''6'''
|}
|}

====Play-off for 3rd place====
{{main|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Play-off}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! style="width:265px; text-align:right;"|Team 1
!width=100|Score
! style="width:265px; text-align:left;"|Team 2
|- 
|style="text-align:right;"|{{fb-rt|IRN}}
|'''[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Play-off|2–3 (a.e.t.)]]'''||! style="width:265px; text-align:left;"|'''{{fb|JPN|1870}}'''
|}

===CAF===
{{main|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)}}
A total of 38 CAF teams entered the competition. However, [[Malian Football Federation|Mali]] and [[Nigerien Football Federation|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.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Legend
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
|Countries that qualified for the 1998 World Cup
|}

====Final positions (final round)====
{{main|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Final round}}
{| style="text-align:center;"
|-valign=top
![[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Group 1|Group 1]]
![[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Group 2|Group 2]]
![[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Group 3|Group 3]]
|-valign=top
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!width=180 style="text-align:left;"|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|NGA}}
|6||'''13'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|GUI}}
|6||'''12'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|KEN}}
|6||'''10'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|BFA}}
|6||'''0'''
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!width=180 style="text-align:left;"|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|TUN|1959}}
|6||'''16'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|EGY}}
|6||'''10'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|LBR}}
|6||'''4'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|NAM}}
|6||'''4'''
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!width=180 style="text-align:left;"|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|RSA}}
|6||'''13'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|CGO}}
|6||'''10'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|ZAM}}
|6||'''8'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|COD|1997}}
|6||'''2'''
|}
|-
![[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Group 4|Group 4]]
![[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Group 5|Group 5]]
|-valign=top
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!width=180 style="text-align:left;"|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|CMR}}
|6||'''14'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|ANG}}
|6||'''10'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|ZIM}}
|6||'''4'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|TOG}}
|6||'''4'''
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!width=180 style="text-align:left;"|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|Pts
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|MAR}}
|6||'''16'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|SLE}}
|5||'''7'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|GHA}}
|6||'''6'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{Fb|GAB}}
|5||'''1'''
|}
|}

===CONCACAF===
{{main|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)}}
[[File:1997 USA v Mexico - John Harkes (3898356480).jpg|thumb|right|[[John Harkes]] playing for the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] in a fourth round qualifying match against [[Mexico national football team|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 [[bye (sports)|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.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Legend
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
|Countries that qualified for the 1998 World Cup
|}

====Final positions (fourth round)====
{{main|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!width=165|Team
!width=20|Pld
!width=20|Pts
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align="left"|{{Fb|MEX}}
|10||'''18'''
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align="left"|{{Fb|USA}}
|10||'''17'''
|- bgcolor="#ccffcc"
|align="left"|{{Fb|JAM}}
|10||'''14'''
|-
|align="left"|{{Fb|CRC}}
|10||'''12'''
|-
|align="left"|{{Fb|SLV}}
|10||'''10'''
|-
|align="left"|{{Fb|CAN}}
|10||'''6'''
|}

===CONMEBOL===
{{main|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 national football team|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.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Legend
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
|Countries that qualified for the 1998 World Cup
|}

====Final positions====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!width=165 style="text-align:left;"|Team
!width=25|Pld
!width=25|Pts
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ARG}}
|16||'''30'''
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|PAR|1990}}
|16||'''29'''
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|COL}}
|16||'''28'''
|- style="background:#ccffcc;"
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|CHI}}
|16||'''25'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|PER}}
|16||'''25'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|ECU|1900}}
|16||'''21'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|URU}}
|16||'''21'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|BOL}}
|16||'''17'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{fb|VEN|1930}}
|16||'''3'''
|}

===OFC===
{{main|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)====
{{main|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)#Final round}}
{{TwoLegStart}}
{{TwoLegResult|{{fb-rt|NZL}}||0–5|'''{{fb|AUS}}'''||[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – OFC third round|0–3]]|[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – OFC third round|0–2]]}}
|}

===UEFA===
{{main|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 national football team|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.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Legend
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
|Countries that qualified for the 1998 World Cup
|- bgcolor=#BBF3FF
|Countries that advanced to the [[#Play-offs|Play-offs]]
|}

====Final positions (first round)====
{{main|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)#First round}}
{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
{{:1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1|title=[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1|Group 1]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n|show_positions=n}}
{{col-break|gap=1em}}
{{:1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2|title=[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2|Group 2]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n|show_positions=n}}
{{col-break|gap=1em}}
{{:1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3|title=[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3|Group 3]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n|show_positions=n}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
{{:1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4|title=[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4|Group 4]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n|show_positions=n}}
{{col-break|gap=1em}}
{{:1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5|title=[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5|Group 5]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n|show_positions=n}}
{{col-break|gap=1em}}
{{:1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6|title=[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6|Group 6]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n|show_positions=n}}
{{col-end}}
{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
{{:1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7|title=[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7|Group 7]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n|show_positions=n}}
{{col-break|gap=1em}}
{{:1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8|title=[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8|Group 8]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n|show_positions=n}}
{{col-break|gap=1em}}
{{:1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 9|title=[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 9|Group 9]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n|show_positions=n}}
{{col-end}}
====Play-offs====
{{main|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)}}
{{TwoLegStart}}
{{TwoLegResult| '''{{fb-rt|CRO}}''' | |3–1| {{fb|UKR|1992}}| |[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Croatia v Ukraine|2–0]]|[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Ukraine v Croatia|1–1]]}}
{{TwoLegResult| {{fb-rt|RUS}} | |1–2| '''{{fb|ITA}}'''| |[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Russia v Italy|1–1]]|[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Italy v Russia|0–1]]}}
{{TwoLegResult| {{fb-rt|IRL}} | |2–3| '''{{fb|BEL}}'''| |[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Republic of Ireland v Belgium|1–1]]|[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Belgium v Republic of Ireland|1–2]]}}{{TwoLegResult| {{fb-rt|HUN}} | |1–12| '''{{fb|FR Yugoslavia}}'''| | [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Hungary v Yugoslavia|1–7]]|[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Yugoslavia v Hungary|0–5]]}}
|}

==Inter-confederation play-offs: AFC v OFC==
{{main|1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–OFC play-off)}}

It was a [[Two-legged tie|two-legged]] home-and-away tie between the winners of the [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)|Oceania qualifying tournament]], [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]], and the losing team in the AFC play-off from the [[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|Asian qualifying tournament]], [[Iran national football team|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 FIFA World Cup|1974]] and Iran in [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]]. The second game is known in Iran as the Saga of Melbourne.
<onlyinclude>{{TwoLegStart}}
{{TwoLegResult|'''{{fb-rt|IRN}}'''|| 3–3 ([[Away goals rule|a]]) |{{fb|AUS}}||[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–OFC play-off)#First leg|1–1]]|[[1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–OFC play-off)#Second leg|2–2]]}}
{{TwoLeg end}}</onlyinclude>

==Top goalscorers==

;19 goals 
*{{flagicon|IRN}} [[Karim Bagheri]]

;14 goals
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Kazuyoshi Miura]]
*{{flagicon|SCG}} [[Predrag Mijatović]]

;12 goals
*{{flagicon|CHI}} [[Iván Zamorano]]

;11 goals
*{{flagicon|CHI}} [[Marcelo Salas]]
*{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Carlos Hermosillo]] 

;6 goals
*{{flagicon|SLV}} [[Raúl Díaz Arce]]
*{{flagicon|IRN}} [[Ali Daei]]
*{{flagicon|KOR}} [[Choi Yong-soo]]
*{{flagicon|SCG}} [[Savo Milošević]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/p/pwc/q/1998.html FIFA World Cup official site - 1998 World Cup qualification] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320044623/http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/p/pwc/q/1998.html |date=2007-03-20 }}
*[https://www.rsssf.org/tables/98q.html RSSSF - 1998 World Cup Qualification]

{{1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers}}
{{FIFA World Cup qualification}}

[[Category:1998 FIFA World Cup qualification| ]]
[[Category:1998 FIFA World Cup|Qualification]]
[[Category:FIFA World Cup qualification]]