1998 in association football

The following are the football (soccer) events of the year 1998 throughout the world.

Events

• 1998 World Cup – France wins 3–0 over Brazil in Saint-Denis, France, winning their first cup. More than a million delirious fans jammed the Champs-Élysées, dancing through the night.
• UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid won 1–0 in the final against Juventus. This was Real Madrid's 7th European Cup title.
• Copa Libertadores 1998: Won by Vasco da Gama after defeating Barcelona Sporting Club on an aggregate score of 4–1.
• Cup Winners' Cup: Chelsea beat Stuttgart 1–0 in the final, winning the cup for the second time.
• UEFA Cup: Inter Milan won 3–0 in the final against Lazio. This was Inter's third UEFA Cup title.
• European Super Cup: Chelsea beat Real Madrid 1–0, winning the cup for the first time.
• England:
  • FA Premier League Champions: Arsenal.
• February 17 – Manchester City fires manager Frank Clark and appoints Joe Royle as his successor.
• May 16 – Arsenal beats Newcastle United 2–0 to win the FA Cup, achieving The Double.
• August 16 – PSV Eindhoven wins the Johan Cruijff Schaal, the annual opening of the new season in the Eredivisie, by a 2–0 win over Ajax Amsterdam in the Amsterdam ArenA.
• September 17 – SC Heerenveen makes a winning European debut with by defeating Poland's Amica Wronki (3–1) in the first round of the Cup Winners Cup.
• October 8 – Manager Arthur Jorge resigns at Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem and is succeeded by Herbert Neumann.
• October 10 – Frank Rijkaard makes his debut as the manager of Dutch national team, as the successor of Guus Hiddink, with a 2–0 friendly win over Peru in Eindhoven. One player makes his debut as well: striker Jeffrey Talan from SC Heerenveen.
• December 1 – Real Madrid wins the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, Japan by defeating Brazil's Vasco da Gama: 2–1. The winning goal for the Spaniards is scored by Raúl González in the 83rd minute.
• December 7 – Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam fires manager Hans van der Zee. He is replaced by Jan Everse on December 24.

Winner national club championships

Asia

• Iran – Esteghlal FC

Europe

• England – Arsenal
• France – RC Lens
• Germany – FC Kaiserslautern
• Hungary – Újpest FC
• Italy – Juventus
• Netherlands
  • Eredivisie – Ajax Amsterdam
  • Eerste Divisie – AZ Alkmaar
• Portugal – FC Porto
• Scotland – Celtic
• Sweden – AIK
• Turkey – Galatasaray S.K.

South America

• Argentina
  • Clausura – Vélez Sársfield
  • Apertura – Boca Juniors
• Brazil – Corinthians
• Bolivia – Blooming
• Chile – Colo-Colo
• Ecuador – LDU Quito
• Paraguay – Olimpia Asunción

International tournaments

• African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso (February 7 – 28 1998)
  1.  Egypt
  2.  South Africa
  3.  Congo DR

• Baltic Cup (April 21 – June 25, 1998)
  1.  Lithuania
  2.  Latvia
  3.  Estonia

• FIFA World Cup in France (June 10 – July 12, 1998)
  1.  France
  2.  Brazil
  3.  Croatia

National team results

Asia

 Kazakhstan

Europe

 Estonia

 Netherlands

 Sweden

South America

 Bolivia

The men's national senior squad didn't play any matches in 1998

 Chile

 Ecuador

Deaths

• May 2 – Justin Fashanu (38), English footballer and only footballer to come out as gay
• June 4 – Miguel Montuori (65), Argentinian-Chilean footballer
• June 13 – Fernand Sastre (74), French footballer
• July 13 – Pierre Garonnaire (82), French footballer
• August 6 – Henk Bosveld (57), Dutch footballer
• September 2 – Jackie Blanchflower (65), Northern Irish footballer