Listed below are the dates and results for the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the African zone (CAF). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 31 May 1996 – 17 August 1997 |
| Teams | 36 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 91 |
| Goals scored | 229 (2.52 per match) |
| Attendance | 2,810,227 (30,882 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Paulão Mamadou Zongo Mike Okoth Origi Vitalis Takawira (5 goals) |
← 1994 2002 → | |
Countries that qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
Countries that did not qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
Countries that did not enter, withdrew or were disqualified
A total of 38 CAF teams entered the competition. However, Mali and Niger both withdrew before the draw was made. The African Zone was allocated five places (out of 32) in the final tournament.
Summary
editThere would be two rounds of play:
- First Round: Cameroon, Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt, the four highest-ranked teams according to FIFA, received byes and advanced to the Final Round directly. The remaining 32 teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the Final Round.
- Final Round: The 20 teams were divided into five groups of four teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would qualify. These were:
First round
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mauritania 
|
0–2 | Burkina Faso
|
0–0 | 0–2 |
Namibia 
|
3–1 |  Mozambique
|
2–0 | 1–1 |
Malawi 
|
0–4 |  South Africa
|
0–1 | 0–3 |
Uganda 
|
1–5 | Angola
|
0–2 | 1–3 |
Guinea-Bissau 
|
4–5 |  Guinea
|
3–2 | 1–3 |
Gambia 
|
2–5 |  Liberia
|
2–1 | 0–4 |
Swaziland 
|
0–3 |  Gabon
|
0–1 | 0–2 |
Burundi 
|
2–0 |  Sierra Leone
|
1–0 | 1–0 |
Madagascar 
|
3–4 | Zimbabwe
|
1–2 | 2–2 |
Congo 
|
3–1 |  Ivory Coast
|
2–0 | 1–1 |
Mauritius 
|
1–7 |  Zaire
|
1–5 | 0–2 |
Rwanda 
|
1–5 |  Tunisia
|
1–3 | 0–2 |
| Kenya
|
3–2 |  Algeria
|
3–1 | 0–1 |
Togo 
|
3–2 |  Senegal
|
2–1 | 1–1 |
Sudan 
|
2–3 |  Zambia
|
2–0 | 0–3 |
Tanzania 
|
1–2 |  Ghana
|
0–0 | 1–2 |
First leg
edit| Namibia | 2–0 | Mozambique |
|---|---|---|
Hoeseb  28'Ortmann 80' |
Report |
| Malawi | 0–1 | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Tinkler 21' |
| Burundi | 1–0 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| Wambo 85' |
Report |
| Madagascar | 1–2 | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| Raoelijaona 85' |
Report | Sawu 79' Takawira 89' |
| Congo | 2–0 | Ivory Coast |
|---|---|---|
| Niere 42' Miyamou 89' |
Report |
| Sudan | 2–0 | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| Khalid Ahmed Elmustafa 12' Anas Elnour 52' |
Report |
Second leg
edit| Burkina Faso | 2–0 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Ouédraogo 44' Traore 81' |
Report |
Burkina Faso won 2–0 on aggregate
| Mozambique | 1–1 | Namibia |
|---|---|---|
| Macamo 25' |
Report | Khob 84' |
Namibia won 3–1 on aggregate
| South Africa | 3–0 | Malawi |
|---|---|---|
| Bartlett 4', 42' Fish 38' |
Report |
South Africa won 4–0 on aggregate
| Angola | 3–1 | Uganda |
|---|---|---|
| Paulão 1', 58' Paulo Silva 7' |
Report | Robert Kizito 3' |
Angola won 5–1 on aggregate
Guinea won 5–4 on aggregate
Liberia won 5–2 on aggregate
Gabon won 3–0 on aggregate
| Sierra Leone | 0–1 | Burundi |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Mbuyi 30' |
Burundi won 2–0 on aggregate but withdrew before the Final Round started, so their place was given to Sierra Leone.
| Zimbabwe | 2–2 | Madagascar |
|---|---|---|
| Zviripayi 52' Takawira 69' |
Report | R. Rasoanaivo 23' H. Rasoanaivo 67' |
Zimbabwe won 4–3 on aggregate
| Ivory Coast | 1–1 | Congo |
|---|---|---|
| Dao 29' |
Report | Imboula 85' |
Congo won 3–1 on aggregate
Zaire won 7–1 on aggregate
Tunisia won 5–1 on aggregate
Kenya won 3–2 on aggregate
Togo won 3–2 on aggregate
Zambia won 3–2 on aggregate
Ghana won 2–1 on aggregate
Final round
editKey:
- Teams highlighted in green qualified for the finals.
Group 1
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nigeria
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 13 |
| Guinea
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 12 |
| Kenya
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 12 | −1 | 10 |
| Burkina Faso
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 17 | −10 | 0 |
| Nigeria | 2–0 | Burkina Faso |
|---|---|---|
| Amokachi 46', 77' |
Report |
| Kenya | 1–1 | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| Simiyu 22' |
Report | Akpoborie 48' |
Attendance: 60,000
Referee: Abdul Rahman Al-Zaid (Saudi Arabia)
| Burkina Faso | 0–2 | Guinea |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Oularé 17' Soumah 44' |
Group 2
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 16 |
 Egypt
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| Liberia
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 4 |
| Namibia
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 17 | −11 | 4 |
Group 3
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| Congo
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Zambia
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
 DR Congo
|
6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 2 |
In May 1997, Zaire were renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo DR).
| South Africa | 1–0 | Zaire |
|---|---|---|
| Masinga 67' |
Report |
| Zambia | 0–0 | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Congo | 2–0 | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Younga-Mouhani 60', 64' |
Report |
| Congo | 1–0 | DR Congo |
|---|---|---|
| Younga-Mouhani 60' |
Report |
| South Africa | 1–0 | Congo |
|---|---|---|
| Masinga 14' |
Report |
Group 4
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cameroon
|
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| Angola
|
6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| Zimbabwe
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 4 |
| Togo
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 14 | −8 | 4 |
| Togo | 2–4 | Cameroon |
|---|---|---|
| Noutsoudje 50' Salou 83' (pen.) |
Report | Tchami 10', 24', 55' Missé-Missé 63' |
Group 5
editGabon vs Sierra Leone was not played, since neither team could advance with a win.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Morocco
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 16 |
| Sierra Leone
|
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 7 |
| Ghana
|
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| Gabon
|
5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 1 |
| Sierra Leone | 1–0 | Gabon |
|---|---|---|
| Kanu 46' |
Report |
Match abandoned after 53 minutes due to crowd trouble. FIFA allowed the result to stand
| Sierra Leone | 0–1 | Morocco |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Bassir 40' |
| Gabon | P–P | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Referee: Lucien Bouchardeau (Niger)
Match postponed due to Sierra Leone not being able to travel from Freetown due to conflict. The match was never rearranged due to the result having no effect on final group standings
| Ghana | 0–2 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Amidu 14' Kallon 47' |
Qualified teams
editThe following five teams from CAF qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria |
Final Round Group 1 winners | 7 June 1997 | 1 (1994) |
| Tunisia |
Final Round Group 2 winners | 8 June 1997 | 1 (1978) |
| South Africa |
Final Round Group 3 winners | 16 August 1997 | 0 (debut) |
| Cameroon |
Final Round Group 4 winners | 17 August 1997 | 3 (1982, 1990, 1994) |
| Morocco |
Final Round Group 5 winners | 8 June 1997 | 3 (1970, 1986, 1994) |
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
Goalscorers
editThere were 229 goals scored in 91 matches, for an average of 2.52 goals per match.
- 5 goals
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
Paulo Jorge da Silva
Bernard Tchoutang
Olivier Niere
Hady Khashaba
Mohammed Gargo- Samuel Johnson
Souleymane Oularé
Cipriano Co- Pereira Tavares
Musa Otieno- Kennedy Simiyu
- Maurice Sunguti
James Debbah- George Weah
Mohammed Ouseb- Eliphas Shivute
- Gervatius Uri Khob
Emmanuel Amunike
Shaun Bartlett
Bachirou Salou- Kossi Noutsoudje
- Djima Oyawolé
Khaled Badra
Elos Elonga-Ekakia- Michel Ngonge
- Mbuleya Tondelva
Frazer Kamwandi- Dennis Lota
- Andrew Tembo
- 1 goal
Abdelhafid Tasfaout- Sid Ahmed Zerrouki
- Fernando Manuel Sousa
- Joaquim Alberto Silva
Kassoum Ouédraogo- Firmin Sanou
- Ousmane Sanou
- Brahima Traore
Jean-Marie Mbuyi- Sutche Wambo
- Jean-Jacques Missé-Missé
- Christian Bongo
- Charles Imboula
- Sousa Miyamou
Lassina Dao- Hazem Emam
- Hesham Hanafy
- Ahmed Hassan
- Ibrahim Hassan
- Samir Kamouna
- Abdel Sattar Sabry
Brice Mackaya- Anicet Yala Ngoukou
- Théodore Nzue Nguema
- Jonas Ogandaga
Abdul Aziz Corr- Ebrima Ebou Sillah
- Felix Aboagye
- Augustine Ahinful
- Arthur Moses
- Abedi Pele
- Tibou Bangoura
- Vincent Kwarula
- Henry Motego
- Francis Were
- Robert Clarke
- Prince Daye
- Oliver Makor
Jiana Raoelijaona- Etienne Hajason Rasoanaivo
- Etienne Rado Rasoanaivo
Antoine Mocude
Youssef Fertout- El Arbi Hababi
- Mustapha Hadji
- Noureddine Naybet
Armando Macamo- Ewald Hoeseb
- Johannes Ortmann
- Simon Uutoni
- Mutiu Adepoju
- Jonathan Akpoborie
- Sunday Oliseh
- Wilson Oruma
Leon Mupenzi
Mamadou Diallo- Omar Traoré
Jamiru Amidu- Lamin Conteh
- Mohamed Kallon
- Abu Kanu
- Mark Fish
- Doctor Khumalo
- Helman Mkhalele
- Eric Tinkler
- Mark Williams
Khalid Ahmed Elmustafa- Anas Elnour
Mohamed Daima- Kokouni Akpalo Gnavor
- Lantame Ouadja
- Tadjou Salou
- Mehdi Ben Slimane
- Hédi Berkhissa
- Taoufik Herichi
- Riadh Jelassi
- Jameleddine Limam
- Skander Souayah
Robert Kizito- Epotele Bazamba
- Emeka Mamale
- Nzelo Hervé Lembi
- Étienne N'tsunda
- Zico Tumba
- Johnson Bwalya
- Kenneth Malitoli
- Mwape Miti
- Vincent Mutale
Kennedy Chihuri- Edelbert Dinha
- Adam Ndlovu
- Agent Sawu
- Cloudious Zviripayi
- 1 own goal
- Mohamadi Balma (playing against Guinea)
- Abubakar Kamara (playing against Ghana)