1998 in Paraguayan football
The following article presents a summary of the 1998 football season in Paraguay.
First division">Liga Paraguaya: Primera División">First division results
Torneo Apertura
The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Apertura champion.| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Points |
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 10 | 25 |
| 2 | Sportivo Luqueño | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 16 | 21 |
| 3 | Olimpia | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 20 |
| 4 | Presidente Hayes | 11 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 16 |
| 5 | Guaraní | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
| 6 | 12 de Octubre | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
| 7 | Sol de América | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 15 | 13 |
| 8 | Cerro Corá | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 18 | 12 |
| 9 | Atl. Colegiales | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 12 |
| 10 | San Lorenzo | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 12 |
| 11 | Nacional | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 10 |
| 12 | Libertad | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 10 |
Apertura playoff stage
The top eight teams qualified to this stage and were given bonus points based on their final standing in the table. Two groups of four teams were made, with the top two of each group advancing to a playoff stage.Group stage
Group A| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Bonus Points | Points |
| 1 | Olimpia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2 | Sol de América | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 6 | |
| 3 | Guaraní | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | |
| 4 | Sportivo Luqueño | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 3.5 |
Group B
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Bonus Points | Points |
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 12 | |
| 2 | 12 de Octubre | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4.5 | |
| 3 | Cerro Corá | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| 4 | Presidente Hayes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 1.5 |
Semifinals
Apertura final
Torneo Clausura
The Clausura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Clausura champion.| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Points |
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 9 | 26 |
| 2 | Guaraní | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 15 | 21 |
| 3 | Cerro Corá | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 16 | 18 |
| 4 | Atl. Colegiales | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 5 | 12 de Octubre | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 20 | 15 |
| 6 | Sol de América | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 13 |
| 7 | * Nacional | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 23 | 13 |
| 8 | Olimpia | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| 9 | San Lorenzo | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 16 | 11 |
| 10 | Sportivo Luqueño | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 11 |
| 11 | Libertad | 11 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 18 | 9 |
| 12 | Presidente Hayes | 11 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 8 |
* Nacional finished in the top eight but their average points over three years forced the team to be relegated so they did not take part of the playoff stage. San Lorenzo took their place instead.
Clausura playoff stage
The top eight teams qualified to this stage and were given bonus points based on their final standing in the table. Two groups of four teams were made, with the top two of each group advancing to a playoff stage. San Lorenzo replaced Nacional in the playoff stage due to Nacional being relegated to the second division.Group stage
Group A| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Bonus Points | Points |
| 1 | Cerro Porteño | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 12 | |
| 2 | Atlético Colegiales | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5.5 | |
| 3 | San Lorenzo | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 3 | |
| 4 | Sol de América | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0.5 |
Group B
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Scored | Conceded | Bonus Points | Points |
| 1 | Olimpia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 7 | |
| 2 | Cerro Corá | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 7 | |
| 3 | Guaraní | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6.5 | |
| 4 | 12 de Octubre | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
Semifinals
Clausura final
National championship game
The national championship game was played between the Apertura and Clausura tournaments winners.Relegation / Promotion
- Nacional and Libertad automatically relegated to the after finishing last and second-to-last in the average points table based over a three-year period.
- Resistencia promoted to the first division by winning the second division tournament.
Qualification to international competitions
- Olimpia qualified to the 1999 Copa Libertadores by winning the Torneo Apertura.
- Cerro Porteño qualified to the 1999 Copa Libertadores by winning the Torneo Clausura.
Lower divisions results
Paraguayan teams in international competitions
- Copa Libertadores 1998:
- *Cerro Porteño: Semi-finals
- *Olimpia: Round of 16
- Copa MERCOSUR 1998:
- *Olimpia: Semi-finals
- *Cerro Porteño: Group stage
- Copa CONMEBOL 1998:
- *Cerro Corá: First round
Paraguay national team">Paraguay national football team">Paraguay national team
| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Comp | Paraguay scorers | Report |
| 1998-02-08 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco Asunción, Paraguay | 4 - 0 | F | Benítez Arce Ayala Ferreira | 450 | |
| 1998-03-14 | Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, United States | 2 - 2 | F | Caniza Arce | 451 | |
| 1998-03-18 | Estadio Olímpico Universitario Mexico City, Mexico | 1 - 1 | F | Benítez | 452 | |
| 1998-03-28 | Yale Bowl New Haven, United States | 1 - 1 | F | Benítez | 453 | |
| 1998-04-22 | Stadio Ennio Tardini Parma, Italy | 3 - 1 | F | Sarabia | 454 | |
| 1998-05-17 | Olympic Stadium Tokyo, Japan | 1 - 1 | Kirin Cup | Ayala | 455 | |
| 1998-05-21 | Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium Kobe, Japan | 1 - 0 | Kirin Cup | 456 | ||
| 1998-06-01 | Philips Stadion Eindhoven, Netherlands | 5 - 1 | F | Campos | 457 | |
| 1998-06-03 | Steaua Stadium Bucharest, Romania | 3 - 2 | F | Cardozo Acuña | 458 | |
| 1998-06-06 | King Baudouin Stadium Brussels, Belgium | 1 - 0 | F | 459 | ||
| 1998-06-12 | Stade de la Mosson Montpellier, France | 0 - 0 | World Cup | - | ||
| 1998-06-19 | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard Saint-Étienne, France | 0 - 0 | World Cup | - | ||
| 1998-06-24 | Stade de Toulouse Toulouse, France | 1 - 3 | World Cup | Ayala Benítez Cardozo | ||
| 1998-06-28 | Stade Félix Bollaert Lens, France | 0 - 0 | World Cup | - |