The licensed game of the 1998 Football World Cup held in France from June to July and the first World Cup licensed game distributed and developed by Electronic Arts features a tweaked FIFA engine, with all 10 stadiums accurately designed and all 32 teams (plus 8 teams that failed to qualify but still deemed too important to leave out) featuring real names and close "look-a-like" kits.
The gameplay has been improved with on the fly in-game management, better player positioning AI, and faster gameplay. An editor is included to change all player information, which affects simulated data: the team with higher ratings has a better chance of progressing through the next stage regardless if it is Brazil or China.