Kidney successfully coached several Ireland under-age teams including the Under-19 side which won the World Cup in 1998.
As with every World Cup since 1998, teams must finish in the top two in their group to qualify for the knockout phase.
Colombia has not appeared at the World Cup finals since 1998, but is third in the South American qualifying section.
Forgotten in the glow of France's World Cup triumph in 1998 is the country's failure to qualify for the tournament in 1994.
Scotland's last appearance at a major summer tournament came at the 1998 World Cup in France.
Of Brazil's probable 22-man 1998 World Cup squad, only half-a-dozen are likely to be drawn from home clubs.
And Beckham also saw red during England's second-round defeat against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup finals in France.
Red-carded in a crucial England game against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, Beckham was blamed for his team's exit.
Both could be precursors to the tightest race in a Hex since it was instituted for the 1998 World Cup Finals.
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Cameroon offered Lauren an international career before the 1998 World Cup finals.
"Spain are out-and-out favourites, " explained Motherwell boss Brown, who was in charge when Scotland last reached a major championship - the 1998 World Cup.
In qualifying for the 1998 World Cup, Croatia were equally impressive.
Petrovic played at the 1998 World Cup finals in France and managed RKC Waalwijk and Boavista before becoming Martin Jol's assistant at Hamburg from 2008 to 2009.
He recalls Romario's distress at picking up an injury before the 1998 World Cup - a tournament "which could have been his definitive statement as a footballer".
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star was infamously dismissed for kicking out at Argentina's Diego Simeone while playing for England at the 1998 World Cup.
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Daei has featured in Iran's most memorable matches - notably helping the country qualify for the 1998 World Cup on away goals after a 2-2 draw in a play-off against Australia.
When he played for Germany in the 1998 World Cup, his first cap for four years, he became the only player since Mexican Antonio Carbajal to appear in five World Cup finals.
It will be Arday's second stint in charge, as he had managed the Black Stars for two games in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers before he was replaced by Dutchman Rinus Israel.
He reported from the Irish camp during the 1994 World Cup in America, and was the BBC's reporter-in-residence in the England camp during Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup in France.
The Italian soccer federation confirmed the bad news for Azzuri fans on Wednesday evening, after Vieri, who was Italy's leading scorer in the 1998 World Cup, was forced off in a match against Parma.
In the 1998 World Cup, it was the turn of Nike's main rival to have its failures embarrassingly highlighted: this time, it was " the Curse of Adidas: Even Zidane has joined the flops".
It has been a history filled with disappointment, including a last-place finish at the 1998 World Cup, a drubbing made all the more humiliating when the women's team won the World Cup in 1999.
The 31-year-old 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning midfielder, who had an injury racked season with his club Inter Milan, did not take part in any of the three warm-up amtches for Euro 2008.
His form may have waned since Brazil's defeat in the 1998 World Cup final but the 23-year-old from the back streets of Rio de Janeiro told reporters he hoped to be playing for Inter Milan this spring.
But out-going coach Afshin Ghotbi, an American citizen and Iranian exile who once scouted for Team USA against Iran at the 1998 World Cup, will hope that national pride will be restored with victory over their bitter rivals.
Wise has been sent off six times in domestic football in the last 18 months while for Beckham its a resumption of his international feud with Simeone, who he so famously kicked before his dismissal during the 1998 World Cup.
Russia coach Guus Hiddink, who has maintained his record of reaching the knockout stage in every international tournament he has coached at, will now take on his home country having led them to the semifinals of the 1998 World Cup.
This, allied to his dramatic omission from Glenn Hoddle's squad for the 1998 World Cup, only succeeded in speeding up the spiral of decline that finished off his career - and appears today to be putting his life in jeopardy.
Anelka, who is a 1998 World Cup winner, is currently in Italy as he seeks to negotiate a move to join reigning champions Juventus, which the club says will be for an initial five-month period with a view to a longer deal.
Another team to be denied in the last minute were Spain , whose remarkable run of 24 consecutive wins in qualifying games -- which stretched back to 2007 -- was ended when drawing 1-1 at home to 1998 World Cup winners France in Madrid.
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