<P> The 1998 World Cup was held in France , and had an expanded format featuring 32 teams . Iran beat the Maldives in qualification by the widest margin in World Cup history -- 17 -- 0 . In the finals , the second round match between France and Paraguay witnessed the first golden goal in World Cup history , as Laurent Blanc scored to give the hosts a 1 -- 0 victory . Hosts France won the tournament by beating Brazil 3 -- 0 in the final , as the scorer of four goals in the tournament , Ronaldo , appeared to be less than a hundred percent in the match , and was unable to make any impact . Debutants Croatia finished a commendable third . </P>
<P> The 1998 World Cup was held in France , and had an expanded format featuring 32 teams . Iran beat the Maldives in qualification by the widest margin in World Cup history -- 17 -- 0 . In the finals , the second round match between France and Paraguay witnessed the first golden goal in World Cup history , as Laurent Blanc scored to give the hosts a 1 -- 0 victory . Hosts France won the tournament by beating Brazil 3 -- 0 in the final , as the scorer of four goals in the tournament , Ronaldo , appeared to be less than a hundred percent in the match , and was unable to make any impact . Debutants Croatia finished a commendable third . </P>
when did world cup expand to 32 teams
when did world cup expand to 32 teams
1998
1998