1998 UEFA European Under-18 Championship
The UEFA European Under-18 Championship 1998 Final Tournament was held in Cyprus. It also served as the European qualification for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.
| 1998 Ευρωπαϊκό πρωτάθλημα ποδοσφαίρου Κ-18 (in Greek) | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Cyprus |
| Dates | 19–26 July 1998 |
| Teams | 8 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 6 (in 4 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  |
| Runners-up |  |
| Third place |  |
| Fourth place |  |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 14 |
| Goals scored | 45 (3.21 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | (4 goals) |
Qualification
50 UEFA nations entered the competition, and with the hosts Cyprus qualifying automatically, the other 49 teams competed in the qualifying competition to determine the remaining seven spots in the final tournament. The qualifying competition consisted of two rounds: First round, which took place in autumn 1997 and was played in 14 round-robin tournament groups with three or four teams each; and the Second round, which took place in spring 1998, in which pairs of group winners played home and away matches.
The following teams qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Method of qualification | Appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hosts | 1st | — | Debut |
| Second round winners | 1st | — | Debut |
 | Second round winners | 1996 (third place) | Champions (1948, 1963, 1964, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1980, 1993) | |
| Second round winners | 1994 (runners-up) | Champions (19652, 19702, 19811, 19862) | |
 | Second round winners | 1st | — | Debut |
| Second round winners | 1997 (runners-up) | Champions (1961, 1994) | |
| Second round winners | 1997 (fourth place) | Fourth place (1984, 1997) | |
 | Second round winners | 1997 (third place) | Champions (1952, 1954, 1995) |
- 1 = as West Germany
- 2 = as East Germany
Match officials
A total of 7 referees, 7 assistant referees and 2 fourth officials officiated the tournament.
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Squads
Each national team submitted a squad of 18 players, including two goalkeepers.
Group stage
Group A
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 6 |
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 |
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | –1 | 6 |
.svg.png){kind=small} |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | –9 | 0 |
Group B
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 6 |
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 6 |
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | –1 | 6 |
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | –7 | 0 |
| Croatia | 2–5 | |
|---|---|---|
Deranja  Bjelanović |
Report | George Keane McPhail Patridge |
Third place match
Final
Qualification to World Youth Championship
The six best performing teams qualified for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.
Goalscorers
There were 45 goals scored in 14 matches, for an average of 3.21 goals per match.
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal