1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Teams | ? (from 1 confederation) |
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.
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 would advance 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 would qualify. The runners-up would advance to the AFC play-off.
- Play-off: The 2 teams played against each other once in Malaysia. The winner would qualify. The loser would advance to the AFC–OFC intercontinental play-offs.
Contents
First round
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Group 1
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Saudi Arabia |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 17 | 16 |
| 2 |  Malaysia |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| 3 |  Chinese Taipei |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | –9 | 4 |
| 4 |  Bangladesh |
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 14 | –10 | 3 |
Saudi Arabia advanced to the final round.
Group 2
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Iran |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 3 | 36 | 16 |
| 2 |  Kyrgyzstan |
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 |  Syria |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 5 | 22 | 7 |
| 4 |  Maldives |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 59 | –59 | 0 |
Iran advanced to the final round.
Group 3
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United Arab Emirates |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 10 |
| 2 |  Jordan |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 |  Bahrain |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | –6 | 3 |
United Arab Emirates advanced to the final round.
Group 4
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Japan |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 30 | 16 |
| 2 |  Oman |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 13 |
| 3 |  Macau |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 28 | –25 | 4 |
| 4 |  Nepal |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 19 | –17 | 1 |
Japan advanced to the final round.
Group 5
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Uzbekistan |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 16 |
| 2 |  Yemen |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 |  Indonesia |
6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
| 4 |  Cambodia |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 27 | –25 | 1 |
Uzbekistan advanced to the final round.
Group 6
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  South Korea |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 10 |
| 2 |  Thailand |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | –1 | 4 |
| 3 |  Hong Kong |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | –7 | 3 |
South Korea advanced to the final round.
Group 7
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kuwait |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 12 |
| 2 |  Lebanon |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | –3 | 4 |
| 3 |  Singapore |
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | –6 | 1 |
Kuwait advanced to the final round.
Group 8
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 16 |
| 2 |  Tajikistan |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 13 |
| 3 |  Turkmenistan |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 13 | –5 | 6 |
| 4 |  Vietnam |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 21 | –19 | 0 |
China advanced to the final round.
Group 9
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kazakhstan |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 12 |
| 2 |  Iraq |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| 3 |  Pakistan |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 22 | –19 | 0 |
Kazakhstan advanced to the final round.
Group 10
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Qatar |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 9 |
| 2 |  Sri Lanka |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 |  India |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | –4 | 4 |
| 4 |  Philippines |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | –10 | 0 |
Qatar advanced to the final round.
Final round
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Group A
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 14 |
| 2 | Iran |
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | China |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 14 | –3 | 11 |
| 4 | Qatar |
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | –3 | 10 |
| 5 | Kuwait |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | –1 | 8 |
Saudi Arabia qualified. Iran advanced to the AFC play-off.
Group B
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea |
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| 2 | Japan |
8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 13 |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates |
8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | –3 | 9 |
| 4 | Uzbekistan |
8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 18 | –5 | 6 |
| 5 | Kazakhstan |
8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 19 | –12 | 6 |
South Korea qualified. Japan advanced to the AFC play-off.
Play-off
- The play-off was held at a neutral ground (one-leg).
- Extra time was held under golden goal rule.
| Iran |
2–3 (a.e.t.) | Japan |
|---|---|---|
Azizi  46'Daei 58' |
report (FIFA) report (Japanese) |
Nakayama 39' Jo 75'Okano  118' |
Japan qualified. Iran advanced to the AFC–OFC intercontinental play-off.
