1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
| CONCACAF Championship | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | United States |
| Dates | February 1 – February 15 |
| Teams | 10 (from 2 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 3 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 |
| Runners-up |
 |
| Third place |
 |
| Fourth place |
 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 44 (2.75 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
 (4 goals each) |
| Best player |
|
The 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fourth edition of the Gold Cup, the Association football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF).
The tournament was once again held in the United States, in Los Angeles, Miami, and Oakland. The format of the tournament changed from 1996: it was expanded to ten teams, with four in Group A and three each in Groups B and C. The top team in each group, plus the second place in Group A would advance to the semifinals. Brazil was invited again, and brought their senior team this time.
Jamaica, getting ready for the 1998 World Cup, pulled the stunner of the first round. They did not originally qualify for the tournament, but Canada withdrew, granting them a spot. Jamaica then topped Group A over Brazil (they tied the South Americans 0–0). In the semi-finals, the United States beat Brazil, as Preki scored the lone goal and Kasey Keller preserved the clean sheet. The United States could not repeat that performance in front of a pro-Mexican final crowd in Los Angeles. Mexico won their third straight Gold Cup, 1–0, on a Luis Hernández goal.
Participating nations
| Team | Qualification | Appearance in Gold Cup |
|---|---|---|
| North American zone | ||
| Host | 4th |
| Automatic | 4th |
 | Automatic | 4th |
| Caribbean zone qualified through the 1997 Caribbean Cup | ||
 | Winners | 3rd |
 | Winner of the below playoff | 1st |
| Central American zone qualified through the 1997 UNCAF Nations Cup | ||
| Winners | 3rd |
 | Runners-Up | 3rd |
 | 3rd Place | 2nd |
 | 4th Place | 4th |
| CONMEBOL | ||
| Invited | 2nd |
(1) Canada withdrew and was replaced by Jamaica.
Gold Cup play-off
A playoff between Cuba, the runner-up from the 1996 Caribbean Cup and Saint Kitts and Nevis, the runner-up from the 1997 Caribbean Cup, was held to determine which nation would qualify for the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Venues
| Los Angeles | Oakland | Miami |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Orange Bowl |
| Capacity: 93,607 | Capacity: 63,026 | Capacity: 74,476 |
 |
 |
 |
First round
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 5 |
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 |
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 1 |
| El Salvador |
0–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Jamaica |
2–0 | |
|---|---|---|
Gayle  Simpson |
Report |
- Originally scheduled on February 6, postponed by heavy rain.
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 |
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
| Mexico |
4–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Ramírez Hernández Palencia |
Report | Marcelle Nixon |
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 6 |
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 3 |
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 |
| Costa Rica |
7–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Berry Wanchope López Myers |
Report | Martén Sebrango |
| United States |
2–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pope Preki |
Report | Oviedo |
Knockout round
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| February 10 – Los Angeles | ||||||
| | 1 | |||||
| February 15 – Los Angeles | ||||||
| | 0 | |||||
| | 0 | |||||
| February 12 - Los Angeles | ||||||
| | 1 | |||||
| | 0 | |||||
| | 1 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| February 14 – Los Angeles | ||||||
| | 1 | |||||
| | 0 | |||||
Semi-finals
| United States |
1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Preki |
Report |
Third place match
| Brazil |
1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Romário |
Report |
Final
| United States |
0–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Hernández |
        United States
|
     Mexico
|
Awards
Winners
| 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup Winners |
|---|
Mexico Third title |
Individual awards
| Top Scorer | Most Valuable Player |
|---|---|
|
|
| Best XI | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|
|
|
|
Top scorers
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Final standings
| R | Team | G | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | B | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 12 |
| 2 | | C | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 |
| 3 | | A | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 8 |
| 4 | | A | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 7 |
| 5 | | C | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 3 |
| 6 | | B | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | | A | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −2 | 2 |
| 8 | | A | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 1 |
| 9 | | B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
| 10 | | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 |