Original Nike football shirt Italy World Cup 1998

The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th edition of an international football match between the national men's teams of countries affiliated to FIFA. France hosted, as had been decided by the FIFA meeting on July 2, 1992, six years earlier. 170 countries participated in the preliminary rounds, including 32 debutants. The draw for the final round took place on December 4, 1997 in Marseille. The tournament itself started on June 10 and ended on Sunday, July 12. Defending champion was Brazil, which had won the title in the United States four years earlier by beating Italy on penalties. For the first time, 32 countries participated in the final round.

France won the championship by beating Brazil 3-0 in the final, capturing its first world title. Two years later at Euro 2000, France also became champions, making it the first country to ever win consecutive world and European champions.

In 2018, Michel Platini, host of the 1998 World Cup, confessed that the tournament draw had been manipulated to ensure that France and Brazil would meet in the final at the earliest.