The 1998 World Karate Championships are the 14th edition of the World Karate Championships, and were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from October 15 to October 18, 1998.
Medalists
Men
Women
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual kata | Atsuko Wakai Japan
|
Myriam Szkudlarek France
|
Roberta Sodero Italy
|
| Team kata | Japan
|
 United States
|
 SpainSusana Bueno Miriam Cogolludo Gema Méndez |
| Kumite −53 kg | Hiromi Hasama Japan
|
Sari Laine Finland
|
Nicole Jacobs Germany
|
| Nadia Mecheri France
| |||
| Kumite −60 kg | Julliet Toney England
|
Nathalie Leroy France
|
Alexandra Witteborn Germany
|
| Marianne Tarva Finland
| |||
| Kumite +60 kg | Laurence Fischer France
|
Lourene Bevaart Australia
|
Izumi Nabeki Japan
|
| Judith Nagel Germany
| |||
| Kumite open | Maria Cecília de Almeida Brazil
|
Petra Piskačová Czech Republic
|
Tania Weekes England
|
Yıldız Aras Turkey
| |||
| Team kumite | Turkey Yıldız Aras Nurhan Fırat Leyla Gedik Meral Ölmez |
England
|
 Croatia
|
| Spain Gloria Casanova Rosa Ortega Beatriz Pérez |
Medal table
* Host nation (Brazil)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 5 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| 2 | Japan | 5 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 3 | Turkey | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | England | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Spain | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| 6 | Germany | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| 7 | Brazil* | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 |  Greece | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Italy | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 10 | Finland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Iran | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 12 | Australia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| United States | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Venezuela | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 16 |  Belgium | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Croatia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Denmark | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (18 entries) | 17 | 17 | 30 | 64 | |