David Beckham's middle parting graces the cover of FIFA: Road to World Cup 98, blissfully unaware that the upcoming tournament would shatter his dreams. But stepping into this 1997 time capsule now reveals something remarkable: nearly three decades later, this game remains more fun than anything EA Sports has released since.
The magic starts immediately. There are no card packs to chase, no squad systems demanding endless grinding, no battle pass reminders interrupting your match. Just you, a football, and the pure mechanics of the sport itself. Modern games have become Skinner boxes dressed in glossy menus. Road to World Cup 98 is refreshingly the opposite.
The gameplay foundation still holds up. EA Canada equipped players with analog movement that offered far more freedom than earlier FIFA titles, enabling mazier dribbles and exploratory runs at speeds that still feel snappy today. The skill move system, then brand new, gives you genuine options for expressing yourself on the pitch. Even the clunky control layouts cannot dim the intuitive drive toward goal.
What truly sets this game apart is its ambition. The World Cup qualifying rounds span two qualifying stages against increasingly difficult opponents before reaching France 98 itself. This structure captures the epic journey of tournament qualification. The AI, while beatable, varies convincingly between elite squads and underdog challengers. EA separately released a simpler "World Cup 98" months later to cash in on the actual tournament, but it ditched the qualifying rounds and league modes entirely, making it an absurd purchase for anyone who already owned this game.
The 172 national teams included here were, in 1997, a genuine marvel. Their kits may not feature meticulously recreated badges or pantone-perfect colors, but on a 480p CRT television, nobody cared. What mattered was that they were all broadly recognizable, with teams like Chile sporting that massive Reebok logo across the shoulder.
One mode stands alone in the entire FIFA franchise history: indoor soccer. Played in what resembles a school gymnasium after hours, five-a-side matches let you bounce passes and shots off the walls. The genius twist: no fouls exist in indoor mode. You can literally kick opposing players up and down the court without a whistle from the referee, all while practicing skill moves in a completely different tactical environment. This mode was resource-intensive enough that EA never revived it, making it a legendary one-off that fans would debate on message boards for decades.
Playing Road to World Cup 98 today strips away everything that makes modern sports gaming exhausting. No live events interrupt your session. No cosmetic unlocks dangle just out of reach. No reminder that you should probably spend some money. The game simply asks: do you want to play football? If yes, kick off immediately. That directness, that respect for your time, feels radical in 2024.
Nostalgia certainly fuels some of the appeal. The Britpop and big beats soundtrack, the Cool Britannia optimism, the cultural moment frozen on a disc, all resonate with those who lived it. But the core remains genuinely engaging even for players discovering it fresh. The World Cup 2026 will feature goals and tackles and passing. But will it let you guide the Cook Islands to trophy glory while "Song 2" roars? Will it permit Jose Luis Chilavert to dribble past eleven players? Will it let you imagine a football world untethered from suspicious host bids and petrostate vanity projects? No. And that's precisely why this old game, with its weathered visuals and rudimentary AI, remains unbeaten.
Author Emily Chen: "Modern FIFA games forgot that fun comes before monetization, and Road to World Cup 98 proves it every single time you boot it up."
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