# France wins FIFA World Cup (1998)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1998-france-wins-fifa-world-cup
Location: Saint-Denis

The national football team won its first World Cup on home soil. Within the broader Fifth Republic period, The 1958 Constitution created a stronger presidency and a durable Fifth Republic. Decolonization, European integration, social change, economic shocks and recurring debates over identity, secularism and the role of the state have shaped contemporary France. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Jacques Chirac (President of the French Republic). France wins FIFA World Cup mattered because cultural and intellectual institutions helped shape French identity and France’s influence beyond its borders. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
France wins FIFA World Cup mattered because cultural and intellectual institutions helped shape French identity and France’s influence beyond its borders.

Ruler at the time: [Jacques Chirac](https://history-france.com/rulers/jacques-chirac)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — France wins FIFA World Cup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=France+wins+FIFA+World+Cup&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — France wins FIFA World Cup](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=France+wins+FIFA+World+Cup)
- [Élysée — Institutions of the Fifth Republic](https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-institutions)