1998 Panini FIFA World Cup France Soccer Trading Card Box | 35 Packs | Factory Sealed

The 1998 Panini FIFA World Cup France Soccer Trading Card Box holds 35 packs of six cards each, 210 cards in all, from Panini's officially licensed card set for the World Cup played in France in the summer of 1998. The box is factory sealed and still in the cellophane it was wrapped in at the factory in 1998.

The set runs to 100 cards: 99 players from 21 of the 32 teams that took part in the tournament, plus a checklist card. Eleven of the player cards are printed in metallic ink and turn up at random among the regular cards. All card text is in English.

Eleven Metallic Cards, One Starting Eleven

The metallic cards are not spread evenly through the checklist — they come in four groups, and together they make up a team. Card #1 is the only goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel of Denmark. Cards #10 to #13 are four defenders: Cafu, Trifon Ivanov, Siniša Mihajlović and Lilian Thuram. Cards #37 to #39 are three midfielders: Sunday Oliseh, Clarence Seedorf and Mario Stanić. Cards #73 to #75 are three forwards: Faustino Asprilla, Alessandro Del Piero and Oliver Bierhoff. One keeper, four at the back, three in midfield, three up front — a complete 4-3-3. Thuram, on card #13, went on to score both French goals in the semi-final against Croatia that summer, the only two goals of his 142 appearances for France.

France 1998

It was the first World Cup with 32 teams instead of 24. France won it on home soil, beating Brazil 3–0 in the final at the Stade de France on July 12, 1998.

Panini World Cup Releases in Our Catalog

Later World Cups are represented in the store by sticker boxes for Germany 2006 in its Uruguay edition, South Africa 2010, the Road to 2014 collection in its Paraguay edition, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018, and by individual Gold Crumple stickers from the 2026 edition. Panini's sticker boxes for Euro 2008 and Euro 2012 are in the catalog as well.

Panini did not publish insertion rates for the metallic cards. How many appear in a single box varies and is not guaranteed.

Specifications

Packs per box: 35 · Cards per pack: 6 · Cards per box: 210 · Base set: 100 cards incl. checklist · Metallic cards: 11 · Language: English · Condition: Factory sealed in original 1998 cellophane