| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 174 (from 6 confederations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 643 |
| Goals scored | 1922 (2.99 per match) |
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← 1994
2002 →
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A total of 174 teams entered the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds which began with the preliminary qualification draw on 12 December 1995 at Paris, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. This is the first time there would be 32 teams in the finals. France, as the hosts, and Brazil, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 30 spots open for competition.
The 32 spots available in the 1998 World Cup would be distributed among the continental zones as follows:
A total of 168 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 643 qualifying matches were played, and 1922 goals were scored (an average of 2.99 per match).
Contents |
To see the dates and results of the qualification rounds for each continental zone, click on the following articles:
The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The winner would qualify.
| 22 November 1997 |
Iran | 1 – 1 | Australia | Azadi Stadium, Tehran Attendance: 128,000 Referee: Pierluigi Pairetto (Italy) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khodadad Azizi 40' | Harry Kewell 19' |
| 29 November 1997 |
Australia | 2 – 2 | Iran | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Attendance: 88,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Kewell 32' Aurelio Vidmar 48' |
Karim Bagheri 71' Khodadad Azizi 75' |
The aggregate score was tied 3-3, and Iran qualified due to the away goals rule.
The following 32 teams qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup:
| Team | Finals Appearance | Streak | Last Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 12th | 7 | 1994 |
| Austria | 7th | 1 | 1990 |
| Belgium | 10th | 5 | 1994 |
| Brazil (c) | 16th | 16 | 1994 |
| Bulgaria | 7th | 2 | 1994 |
| Cameroon | 4th | 3 | 1994 |
| Chile | 7th | 1 | 1982 |
| Colombia | 4th | 3 | 1994 |
| Croatia | 1st | 1 | – |
| Denmark | 2nd | 1 | 1986 |
| England | 10th | 1 | 1990 |
| France (h) | 10th | 1 | 1986 |
| Germany | 14th(1) | 12(1) | 1994 |
| Iran | 2nd | 1 | 1978 |
| Italy | 14th | 10 | 1994 |
| Jamaica | 1st | 1 | – |
| Japan | 1st | 1 | – |
| South Korea | 5th | 4 | 1994 |
| Mexico | 11th | 2 | 1994 |
| Morocco | 4th | 2 | 1994 |
| Netherlands | 7th | 3 | 1994 |
| Nigeria | 2nd | 2 | 1994 |
| Norway | 3rd | 2 | 1994 |
| Paraguay | 5th | 1 | 1986 |
| Romania | 7th | 3 | 1994 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2nd | 2 | 1994 |
| Scotland | 8th | 1 | 1990 |
| South Africa | 1st | 1 | – |
| Spain | 10th | 6 | 1994 |
| Tunisia | 2nd | 1 | 1978 |
| United States | 6th | 3 | 1994 |
| Yugoslavia | 1st(2) | 1 | -(2) |
(h) - qualified automatically as hosts
(c) - qualified automatically as defending champions
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