1998 UEFA European Under-18 Championship

AI-assisted Knowledge Update: This article was automatically consolidated to provide you with the most up-to-date data instantly.

Overview

The 14th U-18 European Football Championship was held between July 19 and 26, 1998, in Cyprus. The tournament served as the European qualification for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.

Qualification

50 UEFA nations entered the competition, with the hosts Cyprus qualifying automatically. The other 49 teams competed in a two-round qualifying competition to determine the remaining seven spots in the final tournament. The first round took place in autumn 1997 and consisted of 14 round-robin groups with three or four teams each. The second round, which took place in spring 1998, featured pairs of group winners playing home and away matches.

Qualified Teams

The following teams qualified for the final tournament:

* Cyprus (hosts)
* Ireland
* Germany
* France
* Austria
* Other teams (list not provided in source snippets)

Match Officials

A total of 6 referees, 7 assistant referees, and 2 fourth officials officiated the tournament. The referees included Pascal Garibian, Valentin Ivanov, Eric Romain, Adrian Stoica, Ja..., and another referee whose name is not specified.

Final Tournament

The final tournament was held in Cyprus from July 19 to 26, 1998. Ireland won the tournament by defeating Germany 4-3 in a penalty shootout after the match ended 1-1 after extra time.

Notes

* The tournament also served as one of the qualifying tournaments for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.
* The UEFA European Under-18 Championship is an annual international youth football competition organized by UEFA.