Papua New Guinea struck this silver 5 kina in 1997 for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, the first finals to bring together 32 teams instead of 24. The larger field opened the door to newcomers, and Croatia, Jamaica, Japan and South Africa all made their World Cup debuts.

The scoring chart was topped by a debutant: Croatia's Davor Šuker scored six goals and won the Golden Boot. The opening match and the final were staged at the Stade de France, built for the tournament, and the official mascot was Footix the rooster.

Catalogued as KM# 55, the coin shows a footballer in action with the legend WORLD CUP '98. It was issued in sterling silver with a mintage of 15,000 and struck as a proof, giving a mirror field around the frosted player.