<P> The tournament was won by host country France , who beat defending champions Brazil 3 -- 0 in the final . France won their first title , becoming the seventh nation to win a World Cup , and the sixth ( after Uruguay , Italy , England , West Germany and Argentina ) to win the tournament on home soil . Croatia , Jamaica , Japan and South Africa made their first appearances in the finals . </P>
<P> The tournament was won by host country France , who beat defending champions Brazil 3 -- 0 in the final . France won their first title , becoming the seventh nation to win a World Cup , and the sixth ( after Uruguay , Italy , England , West Germany and Argentina ) to win the tournament on home soil . Croatia , Jamaica , Japan and South Africa made their first appearances in the finals . </P>
who won the football world cup in 1998
who won the football world cup in 1998
France
France