1998_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_(AFC)
1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
International football competition
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian zone (AFC). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Quick Facts Tournament details, Teams ...
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 36 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top scorer(s) |  Karim Bagheri (19 goals) |
← 1994 2002 → | |
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A total of 36 teams entered the competition. The Asian zone was allocated 3.5 places (out of 32) in the final tournament.
There were three rounds of play:
- First round: The 36 teams were divided into 10 groups of 3 or 4 teams each. The teams played against each other twice, except in Group 10, where the teams played against each other once. The group winners advanced to the final round.
- Final round: The 10 teams were divided into 2 groups of 5 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners qualified for the World Cup. The runners-up advanced to the AFC play-off.
- Play-off: The two teams played against each other once in Malaysia. The winner qualify for the World Cup. The loser advanced to the AFC–OFC intercontinental play-offs.
Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC first round
More information Key to colours in group tables ...
| Key to colours in group tables | |
|---|---|
| Group winners qualify for the Final round | |
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Group 1
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saudi Arabia |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | +17 | 16 |
 Malaysia |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 11 |
 Chinese Taipei |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 4 |
 Bangladesh |
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 14 | −10 | 3 |
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Source: RSSSF
Group 2
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iran |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 3 | +36 | 16 |
 Syria |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 5 | +25 | 10 |
 Kyrgyzstan |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 14 | −2 | 9 |
 Maldives |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 59 | −59 | 0 |
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Source: RSSSF
Group 3
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United Arab Emirates |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 10 |
 Jordan |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
 Bahrain |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 3 |
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Source: RSSSF
Group 4
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Japan |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 1 | +30 | 16 |
 Oman |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 13 |
 Macau |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 28 | −25 | 4 |
 Nepal |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 19 | −17 | 1 |
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Source: RSSSF
Group 5
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Uzbekistan |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 3 | +17 | 16 |
 Yemen |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 8 |
 Indonesia |
6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 7 |
 Cambodia |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 27 | −25 | 1 |
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Source: RSSSF
Group 6
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Korea |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 10 |
 Thailand |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 |
 Hong Kong |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 3 |
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Source: RSSSF
Group 7
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kuwait |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 12 |
 Lebanon |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 4 |
 Singapore |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 1 |
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Source: RSSSF
Group 8
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 China |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 2 | +11 | 16 |
 Tajikistan |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 13 |
 Turkmenistan |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 6 |
 Vietnam |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 21 | −19 | 0 |
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Source: RSSSF
Group 9
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kazakhstan |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 12 |
 Iraq |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 6 |
 Pakistan |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 22 | −19 | 0 |
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Source: RSSSF
Group 10
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Qatar |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | +14 | 9 |
 Sri Lanka |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
 India |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 4 |
 Philippines |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0 |
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Source: RSSSF
More information Key to colours in group tables ...
| Key to colours in group tables | |
|---|---|
| Group winners qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup | |
| Runners-up advance to the AFC play off | |
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Group A
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 14 |
| Iran |
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 12 |
| China |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 14 | −3 | 11 |
| Qatar |
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 10 |
| Kuwait |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 8 |
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Source: RSSSF
More information China, 2–4 ...
| China | 2–4 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
Fan Zhiyi  44' (pen.)Li Ming 54' |
(report) | Bagheri 61' (pen.) Mahdavikia 67', 73'Roosta 86' |
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More information Saudi Arabia, 2–1 ...
| Saudi Arabia | 2–1 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
| Mehalel 43' Al-Thuniyan 55' |
(report) | Abdullah 18' |
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More information Kuwait, 1–2 ...
| Kuwait | 1–2 | China |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Huwaidi 24' |
(report) | Hao Haidong 3' Gao Feng 89' |
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More information Kuwait, 2–1 ...
| Kuwait | 2–1 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Abdulaziz 48' Mubarak 67' |
(report) | Al-Muwallid 31' |
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More information Iran, 4–1 ...
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More information China, 2–3 ...
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More information Saudi Arabia, 1–1 ...
| Saudi Arabia | 1–1 | China |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Muwallid 4' |
(report) | Hao Haidong 10' |
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Referee: Arturo Angeles (United States)
Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark)
Group B
More information Team, Pld ...
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Korea |
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 7 | +12 | 19 |
| Japan |
8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 9 | +8 | 13 |
| United Arab Emirates |
8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 9 |
| Uzbekistan |
8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 18 | −5 | 6 |
| Kazakhstan |
8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 19 | −12 | 6 |
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Source: RSSSF
More information South Korea, 3–0 ...
| South Korea | 3–0 | Kazakhstan |
|---|---|---|
| Choi Yong-soo 24', 67', 74' |
Report |
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More information Japan, 6–3 ...
| Japan | 6–3 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
| Miura 4' (pen.), 40', 64', 80' Nakata 40'Jo 44' |
Report | Shatskikh 56', 77' Fyodorov 69' (pen.) |
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More information South Korea, 2–1 ...
| South Korea | 2–1 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
| Choi Yong-soo 15' Lee Sang-yoon 87' |
Report | Shatskikh 74' |
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More information United Arab Emirates, 4–0 ...
| United Arab Emirates | 4–0 | Kazakhstan |
|---|---|---|
| Ali 20' Obaid 48'Zuhair Bakheet 75'Mubarak 85' |
Report |
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More information Kazakhstan, 1–1 ...
| Kazakhstan | 1–1 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
| Baltiyev 84' |
Report | Shatskikh 85' |
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More information Uzbekistan, 2–3 ...
| Uzbekistan | 2–3 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Shirshov 10' Bazarov 90' |
Report | Zuhair Bakheet 51' Alabadla 60'Adnan Al Talyani 85' |
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More information Japan, 1–2 ...
| Japan | 1–2 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Yamaguchi 67' |
Report | Seo Jung-won 83' Lee Min-sung 86' |
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More information South Korea, 3–0 ...
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Referee: Lucien Bouchardeau (Niger)
More information Kazakhstan, 1–1 ...
| Kazakhstan | 1–1 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Yevteyev 50' |
Report | Choi Yong-soo 5' |
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More information Uzbekistan, 1–5 ...
| Uzbekistan | 1–5 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Fedorov 61' (pen.) |
Report | Choi Yong-soo 19', 41' Yoo Sang-chul 38'Ko Jeong-woon 57'Kim Do-hoon 70' |
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More information Kazakhstan, 3–0 ...
| Kazakhstan | 3–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Sparyshev 55' Yevteyev 64'Yurist 75' |
Report |
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More information Uzbekistan, 4–0 ...
| Uzbekistan | 4–0 | Kazakhstan |
|---|---|---|
| Shkvyrin 19', 33' Fedorov 44'Kasimov 71' |
Report |
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More information Japan, 5–1 ...
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More information United Arab Emirates, 1–3 ...
| United Arab Emirates | 1–3 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Zuhair Bakheet 58' |
Report | Lee Sang-yoon 11' Kim Do-hoon 42', 67' |
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- The play-off was played over a single leg at a neutral venue.
- Extra time was played using the golden goal rule.
More information Iran, 2–3 (a.e.t.) ...
| Iran | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Azizi 46' Daei 58' |
report (FIFA) report (Japanese) |
Nakayama 39' Jo 75'Okano  118' |
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Main article: 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–OFC play-off)
The following four teams from AFC qualified for the final tournament.
More information Team, Qualified as ...
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | Final Round Group A winners | 12 November 1997 | 1 (1994) |
| South Korea | Final Round Group B winners | 18 October 1997 | 4 (1954, 1986, 1990, 1994) |
| Japan | Play-off winners | 16 November 1997 | 0 (debut) |
| Iran | AFC–OFC play-off winners | 29 November 1997 | 1 (1978) |
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- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
There were 459 goals scored in 132 matches (including 2 international play-offs), for an average of 3.53 goals per match.
- 19 goals
- 14 goals
- 9 goals
- 8 goals
- 7 goals
- 6 goals
- 5 goals
Hidetoshi Nakata
Jasem Al Huwaidi
Ibrahim Al-Shahrani
Omar Al Ariki
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
Gao Feng
Rocky Putiray- Widodo Putro
Hamid Estili- Reza Shahroudi
Laith Hussein- Yutaka Akita
- Wagner Lopes
- Hiroshi Nanami
Boulat Esmagambetov- Vladimir Loginov
- Pavel Yevteyev
Sergey Kutsov
Ahmed Hassan
Mahmoud Soufi- Obeid Al-Dosari
- Fahad Al-Mehallel
Kim Do-hoon- Lee Sang-yoon
- Yoo Sang-chul
Nader Joukhadar- Khaled Al Zaher
Shukhrat Dzhaborov- Takhirdjon Mouminov
Mouslim Agaev
Zuhair Bakheet
- 2 goals
Mohammed Jewel Rana
Hok Sochetra- Li Bing
- Ma Mingyu
- Peng Weiguo
- Ansyari Lubis
- Ronny Wabia
- Mehrdad Minavand
- Ali Asghar Modir Roosta
- Sahib Abbas
- Qahtan Chathir
- Shoji Jo
- Hiroaki Morishima
- Masashi Nakayama
- Akinori Nishizawa
- Norio Omura
Jeris Tadrus- Alexei Klishin
- Nourken Mazbaev
- Fawaz Al Ahmad
- Hamed Al Saleh
- Farhat Haitbaev
- Aleksandr Merzlikin
Abdulfattah Shehab- Mahfood Sultan Al Araimi
- Saeed Shaaban Al Busaidy
- Majdi Shaaban Samir
Mohammad Umer- Zamel Al Kuwari
- Adel Khamis Al Noobi
- Fazli
- Choi Moon-sik
- Ha Seok-ju
- Seo Jung-won
Roshan Perera- Aref Al Agha
- Tarek Jabban
- Oumed Alidodov
- Viacheslav Knizaev
Natipong Sritong-In- Adnan Al Talyani
- Adel Mohamed Abdulla
Numon Khasanov- Sergey Lebedev
- Shukhrat Maksudov
- Abdukahhor Marifaliev
- Nikolai Shirshov
- 1 goal
Khaled Al-Doseri- Hameed Darwish
- Faisal Aziz Rashed
- Mohammed Alfaz Ahmed
- Ahmed Imtiaz
- Li Jinyu
- Li Ming
- Mao Yijun
- Su Maozhen
- Zhang Enhua
Chen Kuei-jen- Hsu Te Ming
- Huang Che-ming
- Lin Wen Han
Au Wai Lun- Cheng Sin Siu
- Lee Kin Woo
Carlton Chapman- Bruno Coutinho
- Raman Vijayan
- Sudirman
- Farhad Majidi
- Ali Mousavi
- Haidar Abdullah
- Ahmed Radhi
- Sadiq Saadoun
- Yasuto Honda
- Masami Ihara
- Masayuki Okano
- Naoki Soma
- Motohiro Yamaguchi
- Basam Al-Khateeb
- Hassouneh Al-Sheikh
- Ruslan Baltiyev
- Vitali Sparyshev
- Valeri Yablochkin
- Dmitri Yurist
- Faisal Al Otaibi
- Hani Al Saqer
- Jamal Mubarak
- Abdullah Saihan
- Vladimir Chertkov
- Sergei Ivanov
- Alexandr Korzanov
- Kanat Sardarov
- Rafik Yusupov
- Babkin Melikian
- Wael Nazha
Che Chi Man- Cheang Chon Man
- José Maria da Cruz Martins
Idris Abdul Karim- Azman Adnan
- Ahmad Che Zambil
- Rosdee Sulong
- Zainal Abidin Hassan
Deepak Amatya- Hari Khadka
- Mohamed Tayib Abdul Noor
- Farid Al Masori
- Nabeel Mubar Al Siyabi
- Zahir Rafiq
- Dahi Al Naemi
- Abdul Jaloof
- Nasir Khamees
- Waleed Bakhit Maayof
- Abdulaziz Al-Dosari
- Abdullah Al-Dosari
- Sami Al-Jaber
- Khalid Al-Temawi
- Yousuf Al-Thunayan
- Khamis Al-Zahrani
Chuan Tan Teng- Zulkarnaen Zainal
- Ko Jeong-woon
- Lee Min-sung
- Park Kun-ha
- Roh Sang-rae
- Anton Silva
- Chaminda Steinwall
- Redwan Abrash
- Ali Cheikh Dib
- Abdel Kader Rifai
- Ammar Rihawi
- Bashar Srour
- Loay Taleb
- Alier Achourmamadov
- Dusit Chalermsan
- Krissada Piandit
- Piyapong Pue-on
- Redjeb Agabaev
- Valeri Broshin
- Valeri Gulyan
- Djumadurdy Meredov
- Georgi Tkavadze
- Bakhit Alabadla
- Gholam Ali
- Hassan Mubarak
- Mohamed Obaid
- Ahmed Saeed
- Jafar Irismetov
- Bahtior Kambaraliev
- Mirdjalal Kasimov
Lê Huỳnh Đức- Nguyễn Công Vinh
- Abdul Rahman Abdulla
- Jeyeb Bashafal
- Esam Dariban
- Munif Shaef Noman
- Mohammed Zughair
- 1 own goal
- Sadiq Saadoun (playing against Kazakhstan)
- Raju Kaji Shakya (playing against Oman)
- FIFA report made a mistake here, the scorer is Ma Mingyu.