1998 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
The 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, CONCACAF zone ran from March 1996 to November 1997 in order to determine the three CONCACAF representatives at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. For an overview of the qualification rounds, see 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification.
A total of 30 CONCACAF teams entered the competition. Mexico, the USA, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Canada, the six highest-ranked teams according to FIFA, received byes and advanced to the third round directly. The remaining 24 teams were divided into two zones, based on geographical locations, as follows:
- Caribbean Zone: The 20 teams played in three rounds of knockout matches on a home-and-away basis to determine four winners advancing to the third round. Bahamas and Bermuda withdrew before playing one game. 18 countries stay in the race.
- Central American Zone: The four teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the third round.
In the third round, the 12 teams were divided into three groups of four teams each. They played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners and runners-up would advance to the final round.
In the final round, the six teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The top three teams would qualify.
Preliminary round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dominican Republic  |
6–3 |  |
3–2 | 3–1 |
Guyana  |
1–8 |  |
1–2 | 0–6 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis  |
w/o |  |
— | — |
Dominica  |
6–4 |  |
3–3 | 3–1 |
Group A
| Dominican Republic | 3 – 2 | |
|---|---|---|
Rodríguez  Mariano Peña |
(report) | Davelaar Malmberg |
Dominican Republic won 6-3 on aggregate.
Group B
| Guyana | 1 – 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph |
(report) | Charles Otis Roberts |
Grenada won 8-1 on aggregate.
Group C
The Bahamas withdrew, so Saint Kitts and Nevis advanced to the first round automatically.
First round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican Republic |
2–1 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
2–1 | 0–0 |
Haiti  |
7–1 | |
6–1 | 1–0 |
Cayman Islands  |
0–6 |  |
0–1 | 0–5 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |
6–1 |  |
5–1 | 1–0 |
Puerto Rico  |
1–9 |  |
1–2 | 0–7 |
| Dominica |
0–2 |  |
0–1 | 0–1 |
Suriname  |
0–2 |  |
0–1 | 0–1 |
Trinidad and Tobago  |
w/o |  |
— | — |
Group 1
| Dominican Republic | 2 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Jiménez Zapata |
(report) | Gersley |
Dominican Republic won 2-1 on aggregate.
Group 2
| Haiti | 6 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Wilson Chevalier Golman Pierre Isaac Chauvet |
(report) | Patrick Modeste |
| Grenada | 0 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| (report) | Golman Pierre |
Haiti won 7-1 on aggregate.
Group 3
| Cayman Islands | 0 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| (report) | Lázaro Darcourt |
| Cuba | 5 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Cruzata Eduardo Sebrango Lázaro Darcourt Lester Moré |
(report) |
Note:Both matches were played in Cayman Islands.
Cuba won 6-0 on aggregate.
Group 4
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 5 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight Allers Kelley Vernon Sargeant Keith Gumbs |
(report) | Earl Jean |
| Saint Lucia | 0 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| (report) | Dwight Allers Kelley |
Saint Kitts and Nevis won 6-1 on aggregate.
Group 5
| Puerto Rico | 1 – 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Lugris |
(report) | Huggins Hinds |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 7 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Mussenden Hinds Charles |
(report) |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines won 9-1 on aggregate.
Group 6
| Barbados | 1 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gregory Goodridge |
(report) |
Barbados won 2-0 on aggregate.
Group 7
Jamaica won 2-0 on aggregate.
Group 8
Bermuda withdrew, so Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the second round automatically.
Second round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caribbean Zone | |||||
| Cuba |
7–2 | |
6–1 | 1–1 | |
| Dominican Republic |
1–12 | |
1–4 | 0–8 | |
| Barbados |
0–3 | |
0–1 | 0–2 | |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |
2–2 (a) | |
2–2 | 0–0 | |
| Central American Zone | |||||
Nicaragua  |
1–3 |  |
0–1 | 1–2 | |
Belize  |
2–6 |  |
1–2 | 1–4 | |
Caribbean Zone
Group A
| Cuba | 6 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Eduardo Sebrango Mario Pedraza Lázaro Darcourt Lester More |
(report) | Rosemond Pierre |
This match was played on neutral ground instead of in Cuba.
| Haiti | 1 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Isaac Chauvet |
(report) | Armando Cruz |
Cuba won 7-2 on aggregate.
Group B
| Dominican Republic | 1 – 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Alberto Jimenez |
(report) | Russell Latapy Pedro Aquino Angus Eve |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 8 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Stern John Dwight Yorke Angus Eve Anthony Rougier Russell Latapy |
(report) |
Trinidad and Tobago won 12-1 on aggregate.
Group C
| Barbados | 0 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| (report) | Walter Boyd |
| Jamaica | 2 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Theodore Whitmore Walter Boyd |
(report) |
Jamaica won 3-0 on aggregate.
Group D
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2 – 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Keith Gumbs Larrymore Bedford |
(report) | Andre Hinds Kendall Velox |
Saint Kitts and Nevis 2-2 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on aggregate. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines won on the away goals rule.
Central American Zone
Group E
| Nicaragua | 0 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| (report) | Juan Carlos Plata |
| Guatemala | 2 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Juan Carlos Plata |
(report) | Ezequiel Jerez |
Guatemala won 3-1 on aggregate.
Group F
| Belize | 1 – 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| David McCaulay |
(report) | Rubén Guevara Julio Dely Valdés |
| Panama | 4 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Julio Dely Valdés René Mendieta |
(report) | Denmark Casey |
Panama won 6-2 on aggregate.
Third round
Group 1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 13 |
| 2 | |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 8 |
| 4 | |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 1 |
The United States and Costa Rica advanced to the final round. Guatemala played their home games in Los Angeles and San Salvador instead of at home due to FIFA stadium standards not followed by the Estadio Mateo Flores, in Guatemala City, where over 80 people died due to structural flaws and overcrowding in October 16, 1996, when the home match against Costa Rica was due to be played.
| Trinidad and Tobago | 0 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| (report) | Ronald Gomez |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Jerren Nixon |
(report) | Rudy Ramirez |
| United States | 2 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Wynalda Brian McBride |
(report) |
| United States | 2 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Dooley Eric Wynalda |
(report) |
| Costa Rica | 3 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Javier Delgado Hernan Medford Ronald Gomez |
(report) |
| Guatemala | 1 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Juan Carlos Plata |
(report) |
| Costa Rica | 2 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Paulo Wanchope Wilmer Lopez |
(report) | Cobi Jones |
| Guatemala | 2 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Julio Rodas |
(report) | Angus Eve |
| United States | 2 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brian McBride Roy Lassiter |
(report) | Ronald Gomez |
| Costa Rica | 2 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Paulo Wanchope |
(report) | Jerren Nixon |
| Guatemala | 2 – 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Juan Funes Juan Carlos Plata |
(report) | Predrag Radosavljević Frankie Hejduk |
Group 2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 16 |
| 2 |  |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 5 |
| 4 | |
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 16 | -12 | 3 |
Canada and El Salvador advanced to the final round.
Cuba played all their matches away from home.
| Canada | 3 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Geoff Aunger Paul Peschisolido Carlo Corazzin |
(report) | Jorge Dely Valdés |
| Cuba | 0 – 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| (report) | José Carlos Rivera Raúl Díaz Arce Mauricio Cienfuegos |
| Cuba | 3 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Eduardo Sebrango Manuel Bobadilla |
(report) | Jorge Dely Valdés |
| Panama | 1 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Juan Carlos Cubillas |
(report) | Raúl Díaz Arce |
| Canada | 2 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Bunbury Paul Peschisolido |
(report) |
| Cuba | 0 – 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| (report) | Paul Peschisolido Nick Dasovic |
| Canada | 1 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Bunbury |
(report) |
| El Salvador | 3 – 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Raúl Díaz Arce Wilfredo Iraheta Giovanni Trigueros |
(report) | Jorge Dely Valdés |
| El Salvador | 3 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| William Renderos Iraheta Raúl Díaz Arce Jorge Rodríguez |
(report) |
| Panama | 3 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| René Mendieta Rubén Guevara Jorge Dely Valdés |
(report) | Lester Moré |
| El Salvador | 0 – 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| (report) | Mark Watson Alex Bunbury |
Group 3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 13 |
| 2 | |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 10 |
| 4 | |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 30 | -24 | 0 |
Jamaica and Mexico advanced to the final round.
| Jamaica | 3 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Boyd Theodore Whitmore |
(report) |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0 – 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| (report) | Ricardo Peláez Damián Álvarez |
| Honduras | 2 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Pavón Eduardo Bennett |
(report) | Ramón Ramírez |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 – 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Harry |
(report) | Paul Young |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 – 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| James Chewitt |
(report) | Suazo Velázquez Christian Santamaria |
| Mexico | 2 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Zague Carlos Hermosillo |
(report) | Walter Boyd |
| Mexico | 5 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamín Galindo Zague Carlos Hermosillo Dexter Walker |
(report) | Kendall Velox |
| Mexico | 3 – 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamín Galindo Carlos Hermosillo Zague |
(report) | Enrique Reneau |
| Jamaica | 5 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Theodore Whitmore Paul Young Peter Cargill Stephen Malcolm |
(report) |
| Jamaica | 1 – 0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Ian Goodison |
(report) |
| Honduras | 11 – 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Barrios Zapata Suazo Velázquez Arnold Cruz Carlos Pavón Enrique Reneau Merlyn Membreño Milton Núñez Eduardo Bennett |
(report) | Rodney Jack Alwyn Guy Everad Sam |
Fourth round
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 23 | 7 | 16 | 18 |
| 2 | |
10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 17 |
| 3 | |
10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 12 | –5 | 14 |
| 4 | |
10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 12 |
| 5 | |
10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 16 | –5 | 10 |
| 6 | |
10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 20 | –15 | 6 |
- Mexico, the United States, and Jamaica qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Qualified teams
The following three teams from CONCACAF qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fourth round winners | 12 October 1997 | 10 (1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1986, 1994) |
| Fourth round runners-up | 9 November 1997 | 5 (1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994) |
| Fourth round third place | 16 November 1997 | 0 (debut) |
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
Goalscorers
- 11 goals
- 9 goals
- 8 goals
- 6 goals
- 5 goals
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- 4 goals
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- 3 goals
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- 2 goals
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- 1 goal
- 1 own goal
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