The 1998 World Cup: France's Home Win and Zidane's Two Headers

The 1998 World Cup: a brief history

The 1998 World Cup was the sixteenth edition of the FIFA tournament, held in France between 10 June and 12 July 1998. France beat Brazil 3-0 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on 12 July 1998 to win the country''s first World Cup, with Zinedine Zidane scoring two first-half headers and Emmanuel Petit completing the result in stoppage time. The tournament was the first to feature 32 nations (expanded from 24), introduced the golden goal rule, and produced two of the great single storylines of the modern era: Croatia''s third-place run as the surprise of the tournament, and the mystery surrounding Brazilian forward Ronaldo''s pre-final convulsive seizure.

The 32-team format

FIFA expanded the World Cup from 24 to 32 teams for the 1998 finals. The new format produced eight first-round groups of four (top two from each advancing to a 16-team round of 16), then a familiar quarter-final, semi-final and final knockout bracket. The expansion gave additional places to African (5), Asian (4) and CONCACAF (3) confederations, with one inter-confederation playoff. The 32-team format ran from 1998 through 2022 before further expansion to 48 teams for the 2026 finals.

The 1998 tournament also introduced the golden goal rule for knockout-stage extra time, although the rule was not actually triggered at any 1998 match. France''s round of 16 win over Paraguay was the first World Cup match decided by a golden goal: Laurent Blanc scored in the 113th minute. The rule remained in force at the 2002 finals (Senegal and Turkey both benefited from golden-goal wins) before being dropped from international football in 2004.

The group stage

France were drawn in Group C with South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Denmark. The opening match against South Africa produced a 3-0 French win. The second match against Saudi Arabia ended in a 4-0 French win, although Zinedine Zidane was sent off in the 70th minute for stamping on Fuad Anwar, a moment that briefly threatened the host campaign. The third match against Denmark produced a 2-1 French win.

The most-celebrated single group-stage match was the United States vs Iran political match-up at the Stade Gerland in Lyon on 21 June 1998. The two countries had not had diplomatic relations since 1980; both teams exchanged flowers before kick-off. Iran won 2-1 in their first World Cup win since 1978. The result eliminated the United States from the tournament.

Other group-stage moments: Cameroon''s Pierre Wome''s 90th-minute equaliser against Chile (2-2) was not enough to advance; Spain''s 6-1 win over Bulgaria gave them a winning end to a difficult group; Norway beat reigning champions Brazil 2-1 in the closing group game (Tore André Flo and Kjetil Rekdal scoring), although Brazil topped the group.

The round of 16 and the Argentina-England match

The round of 16 produced one of the most-celebrated single matches in English football history. Argentina and England met at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne on 30 June 1998. Argentina led 2-1 at half-time, with Gabriel Batistuta and Javier Zanetti for Argentina and Michael Owen for England. Owen''s goal, a long solo run from the halfway line beating José Chamot and Roberto Ayala before slotting past goalkeeper Carlos Roa, has been replayed in countless retrospectives. Owen was 18 years old.

The match was settled by an extra-time and penalties bracket after 2-2. David Beckham was sent off in the 47th minute for kicking out at Diego Simeone after Simeone had fouled him; the Argentine had collapsed dramatically and the Danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen produced a red card. Sol Campbell had a goal disallowed in the 81st minute. The penalty shootout produced misses from Paul Ince and David Batty; Argentina won 4-3.

Other round of 16 results: France beat Paraguay 1-0 in extra time (the first golden-goal in World Cup history, scored by Laurent Blanc); Italy beat Norway 1-0; Germany beat Mexico 2-1; the Netherlands beat Yugoslavia 2-1; Croatia beat Romania 1-0; Brazil beat Chile 4-1; Denmark beat Nigeria 4-1.

The quarter-finals and Croatia''s run

The quarter-finals produced a French penalty win over Italy (0-0 in 90 minutes, 4-3 on penalties); a Brazilian penalty win over Denmark (3-2 in 90 minutes); a Dutch win over Argentina (2-1, with Dennis Bergkamp''s 89th-minute winner one of the most-celebrated single goals in Dutch football); and a Croatian win over Germany.

The Croatia 3-0 Germany result at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon on 4 July 1998 produced the surprise of the tournament. Croatia, in their first World Cup as an independent nation, beat the reigning European champions through goals from Robert Jarni, Goran Vlaović and Davor Šuker. Christian Wörns was sent off for Germany. The result eliminated the side that had beaten England in the 1996 European Championship final and announced Croatia as a serious international force.

The Ronaldo mystery and the final

The lead-up to the final at the Stade de France on 12 July 1998 was dominated by the unexplained absence of Brazilian forward Ronaldo from the original starting XI. The team sheet was changed within hours of kick-off; Edmundo replaced Ronaldo. Brazilian coach Mario Zagallo subsequently changed the sheet again to include Ronaldo, citing his fitness.

Multiple subsequent accounts have surfaced. Ronaldo had reportedly suffered a convulsive seizure in his hotel room earlier on the day of the final, witnessed by team-mate Roberto Carlos. He had been taken to the hospital, returned to the team, and insisted on playing. The exact medical and political circumstances, including alleged commercial pressure from Brazilian sponsors, have been the subject of decades of subsequent investigation.

Whatever the precise circumstances, Ronaldo''s performance in the final was visibly diminished. The 26-year-old Brazilian forward, who had been the tournament''s most-discussed player coming into the closing matches, was unable to influence the contest. France took advantage. Zinedine Zidane scored two first-half headers in the 27th and 45th minutes, both from corners. Emmanuel Petit added the third in stoppage time. Marcel Desailly was sent off in the 68th minute. France won 3-0 and lifted their first World Cup.

Lasting figures

Zinedine Zidane is regarded as one of the great midfielders of the modern era. His two headers in the 1998 final, his Ballon d''Or in 1998 (and again in 2000), and his subsequent role at Real Madrid (Champions League winner as player in 2002, three Champions Leagues as coach 2016-2018) confirmed his standing. He was named FIFA World Player of the Year three times (1998, 2000, 2003).

Davor Šuker won the 1998 Golden Boot with six goals across the tournament. The Croatian forward had played at Real Madrid through the 1990s and went on to a long Spanish league career. He was named in the team of the tournament.

Aimé Jacquet, the French head coach, was widely criticised through the qualifying campaign and the early stages of the tournament. The trophy vindicated his approach. He stepped down immediately after the final and went into a senior administrative role at the French federation.

Croatia''s 1998 squad, including captain Zvonimir Boban, midfielder Robert Prosinečki, defenders Slaven Bilić and Dario Šimić, and forwards Šuker, Jarni and Vlaović, established the country as a serious international force. Croatia would go on to reach the 2018 World Cup final and the 2022 third-place playoff.

Ronaldo's emergence and Brazil's resurgence

Ronaldo (Ronaldo Nazário de Lima), the 21-year-old Brazilian forward, established himself as one of the world's outstanding players through the 1998 tournament. He scored four goals and created numerous others, demonstrating the technical skill and physical power that would define his early career. Though Brazil lost the final to France, Ronaldo's performances suggested that Brazilian football was returning to the attacking tradition of the 1970s.

France's victory was built on a more balanced approach: their defence, anchored by Fabien Barthez in goal and solid defenders across the backline, was complemented by attacking flair from Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and others. Zidane's two headers in the final represented an unusual strength (he was not regarded as a header of the ball), suggesting that France's victory was partly the result of clinical execution of set-plays.

The 32-team format and global representation

The 1998 tournament introduced the 32-team format (eight groups of four) that would persist until 2022. This format provided greater global representation and meant that two teams from each group advanced to a 16-team knockout stage. The expansion reflected FIFA's commitment to including developing footballing nations and to spreading the tournament's reach across continental confederations. The 32-team format created a more balanced structure than the 24-team format of 1982 and 1990.

Reading on

For more on France''s broader World Cup record, see our team-history piece on France at the World Cup. The World Cup history hub covers every tournament from 1930 to 2026.