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1994 FIFA World Cup

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"1994 World Cup" redirects here. For other uses, see1994 World Cup (disambiguation).

The1994 FIFA World Cupwas the 15thFIFA World Cup,the world championship for men's nationalsoccerteams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States was chosen as thehostbyFIFAon July 4, 1988.[1]Despite soccer's relative lack of popularity in the host nation, the tournament was the most financially successful[2][3]in World Cup history. It broke tournament records with overall attendance of 3,587,538 and an average of 68,991 per game,[4]figures that stand unsurpassed as of 2022,[5]despite the expansion of the competition from 24 to 32 teams starting with the1998 World Cup.[6]

1994 FIFA World Cup
World Cup USA '94
Making Soccer History
Tournament details
Host countryUnited States
DatesJune 17 – July 17
Teams24 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s)9 (in 9 host cities)
Final positions
ChampionsBrazil(4th title)
Runners-upItaly
Third placeSweden
Fourth placeBulgaria
Tournament statistics
Matches played52
Goals scored141 (2.71 per match)
Attendance3,597,042 (69,174 per match)
Top scorer(s)BulgariaHristo Stoichkov
RussiaOleg Salenko
(6 goals each)
Best player(s)BrazilRomário
Best young playerNetherlandsMarc Overmars
BestgoalkeeperBelgiumMichel Preud'homme
Fair play awardBrazil
←1990
1998→

Brazilwas crowned the winner afterdefeatingItaly3–2 in apenalty shootoutat theRose BowlinPasadena, California,nearLos Angeles,after the game had ended 0–0 afterextra time.It was the first World Cup final to be decided on penalties. The victory made Brazil the first nation to win four World Cup titles. There were three new entrants in the tournament:Greece,Nigeria,andSaudi Arabia;Russiaalso appeared as a separate nation for the first time, following the breakup of theSoviet Union,and for the first time since 1938, a unifiedGermanytook part in the tournament. It was also the defending champion, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals byBulgaria.It was the first World Cup where three points were awarded for a victory instead of two and also the first with theback-pass rule.This was done to encourage a more attacking style of soccer as a response to the criticism of the defensive tactics and low-scoring matches of the1990 World Cup.This resulted in an average of 2.71 goals per match, compared to 2.21 in 1990.

Background and preparations

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Bidding process

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Three nations bid to host the event: United States, Brazil, and Morocco.[7]The vote was held in Zurich on July 4, 1988 (Independence Dayin the United States), and only took one round with the United States bid receiving a little over half of the votes by theFIFA Executive Committeemembers.[7]FIFA hoped that by staging the world's most prestigious tournament there, it wouldlead to a growth of interest in the sport.[8]

An inspection committee also found that the proposed Brazilian stadiums were deficient, while the Moroccan bid relied on the construction of nine new stadiums. Conversely, all the proposed stadiums in the United States were already built and fully functioning; U.S. Soccer spent $500 million preparing and organizing the tournament, far less than the billions other countries previously had spent and subsequently would spend on preparing for this tournament.[9]The U.S. bid was seen as the favorite and was prepared in response to losing the right to be the replacement host for the1986 tournamentfollowing Colombia's withdrawal.[10]

One condition FIFA imposed was the creation of a professional soccer league –Major League Soccerwas founded in 1993 and began operating in 1996.[11]There was some initial controversy[12]about awarding the World Cup to a country where soccer was not a nationally popular sport, and at the time, in 1988,[13]the U.S. no longer had a professional league; theNorth American Soccer League,established in 1967, had folded in 1984 after attendance faded.[12]The success of the1984 Summer Olympicsin Los Angeles, particularly thesoccer tournamentthat drew 1.4 million spectators throughout the event, also contributed to FIFA's decision.[14]

The United States had previously bid to host the1986 FIFA World Cup,after Colombia withdrew as the host nation in November 1982 because of economic concerns. Despite a presentation led by formerNorth American Soccer LeagueplayersPeléandFranz Beckenbauer,as well as formerUnited States Secretary of StateHenry Kissinger,the executive committee selected Mexico.[15]There were proposals byFIFAto introduce larger goals and breaks after every quarter instead of just at halftime in order to appease U.S. television advertisers.[16][17][18]These proposals were met with resistance,[19]and ultimately rejected.

Venues

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The games were played in nine cities across thecontiguous United States.[20]All stadiums had a capacity of at least 53,000 and were occupied byprofessionalorcollegeAmerican footballteams.[21]

Other host city candidates includedAtlanta,Denver,Kansas City,Las Vegas,Miami,Minneapolis,New Orleans,Philadelphia,Seattle,andTampa,as well as smaller communities such asAnnapolis, Maryland;Columbus, Ohio;Corvallis, Oregon;andNew Haven, Connecticut.[22]Some sites, includingJoe Robbie StadiuminMiamiandCandlestick ParkinSan Francisco,were rejected because of conflicts withMajor League Baseball.Stanford Stadium,30 miles (48 km) southeast of San Francisco,[23][24]and theCitrus BowlinOrlando, Florida,were picked (theMiami Orange Bowl,another Miami venue, required major renovations to meet tournament standards).[25]

TheRose Bowlhosted the most matches with eight, four of them in the knockout stage, including the final.Giants Stadiumhosted seven games including a semifinal;Foxborough Stadium,Stanford Stadium, and theCotton Bowlhosted six games each, andSoldier Field,Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium,and the Citrus Bowl hosted five games each.Pontiac Silverdome,the first indoor stadium used in a World Cup, hosted the least number of matches, four group-stage games. The Silverdome was also the only venue of the nine used that did not host knockout round games.[citation needed]

Because of the large area of the continental United States, the game locations were often far apart. Some teams in Groups A and B had to travel from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Detroit and back again, covering 2,300 miles (3,700 km) and four time zones.[citation needed]Teams in Groups C and D only played in Boston, Chicago, and Dallas—a trip from Boston to Dallas is 2,000 miles (3,200 km), but only covers two time zones; Chicago is in the same time zone as Dallas but is still 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away from both Dallas and Boston.[original research?]Teams in Groups E and F played exclusively in East Coast cities and stayed in the same time zone.[citation needed]

The variety of climates in different cities across the United States also sometimes made playing conditions challenging.[original research?]Aside from the oceanic coolness of Boston (Foxborough), the Mediterranean climate of San Francisco (Stanford), and occasionally the coolness of Chicago, as they had been in Mexico in 1970 and 1986 most matches were played in hot and/or humid conditions, thanks to nearly all of the games being scheduled to be played during the day. Although playing in the mostly dry heat and smoggy conditions of Los Angeles (Pasadena) and the mixture of heat and humidity of Washington and New Jersey sometimes proved to be difficult, the cities with the most consistently oppressive conditions were Orlando and Dallas in theSouth,because of the combination of heat and extreme humidity.[26]The Floridian tropical climate of Orlando meant all games there were played in temperatures of 95 °F (35 °C) or above with dew points above 70 or more (the temperature there during the group stage game between Mexico and Ireland was 105 °F (41 °C)) due to the mid-day start times.[27]Dallas was not much different: in the humid heat of a Texas summer, temperatures exceeded 100 °F (38 °C) during mid-day, when games there were staged in the open-type Cotton Bowl meant that conditions were just as oppressive there as they were in Orlando.[28]Detroit also proved to be difficult: the Pontiac Silverdome did not have a working cooling system and because it was anair-supportedstadium, the air could not escape through circulation, so temperatures inside the stadium would climb past 90 °F (32 °C) with 40% humidity. United States midfielderThomas Dooleydescribed the Silverdome as "the worst place I have ever played at".[29]

Since the tournament, Pontiac Silverdome, Giants Stadium, and Foxboro Stadium have been demolished, and RFK Stadium is slated for demolition by 2023[needs update].[30]Stanford Stadium, the Cotton Bowl, the Citrus Bowl (now Camping World Stadium), and Soldier Field have all been moderately or heavily modified.[citation needed]The Rose Bowl is[when?]the only largely unmodified stadium used for this tournament.[citation needed]

Los Angeles
(Pasadena, California) 		San Francisco
(Stanford, California) 		Detroit
(Pontiac, Michigan) 		New York/New Jersey
(East Rutherford, New Jersey)
Rose Bowl Stanford Stadium Pontiac Silverdome Giants Stadium
Capacity:94,194 Capacity:84,147 Capacity:77,557 Capacity:76,322
Dallas
Cotton Bowl
Capacity:64,000
Chicago Orlando Boston
(Foxborough, Massachusetts) 		Washington, D.C.
Soldier Field Citrus Bowl Foxboro Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Capacity:63,160 Capacity:62,387 Capacity:54,456 Capacity:53,121

Participating teams and officials

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Qualification

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Main article:1994 FIFA World Cup qualification

Three teams—one African, one Asian, and one European—made their debuts at the 1994 tournament.Nigeriaqualified from the African zone alongsideCameroonandMoroccoasCAFwas granted three spots as a result of the strong performances by African teams in1986and1990.In the Asian zone,Saudi Arabiaqualified for the first time by topping the final round group ahead ofSouth Koreaas both edged outJapan,which was close to making its own World Cup debut, but was denied byIraqin what became known as the "Agony of Doha".In the European zone,Greecemade its first World Cup appearance after topping a group from whichRussiaalso qualified, competing independently for the first time after thedissolution of the Soviet Union.

The defending champion,West Germany,wasunitedwith itsEast Germancounterpart, representing the unified Germany for the first time since the1938 World Cup.Norwayqualified for the first time since 1938,Boliviafor the first time since1950(and the last time as of 2022), andSwitzerlandfor the first time since1966.Norway's 56-year gap between appearances in the final tournament equaledEgypt's record in the previous tournament as the longest. This record was later broken when Wales qualified for the 2022 tournament after a 64-year absence.Mexicohad its first successful qualification campaign since1978,failing to qualify in1982,qualifying as host in1986,and being banned for theCachirulesscandal in1990.

The qualification campaigns of bothCzechoslovakiaandYugoslaviawere affected by political events. The nation ofCzechoslovakiadissolvedin 1993, completing its qualifying group under the name "Representation of Czechs and Slovaks" (RCS), but failed to qualify for the finals, having been edged out byRomaniaandBelgiuminGroup 4.Yugoslavia (which was supposed to play inGroup 5) was suspended from international competition in 1992 as part ofUnited Nations sanctionsagainst thecountryas a result of theYugoslav Wars.The sanctions were not lifted until 1994, by which time it was no longer possible for the team to qualify.Chile's suspension from the 1990 FIFA World Cup, followingthe forced interruptionof its qualification game againstBrazil,extended to the 1994 qualifiers as well.

This was the first World Cup sinceWorld War IIin which none of theUK Home NationsofEngland,Scotland,Northern Ireland,andWales[31]qualified (they withdrew their FIFA memberships between 1928 and 1946, during the first three tournaments), with England (finishing third behind Norway andNetherlandsinGroup 2) missing out after having finished fourth in the 1990 tournament, and Scotland (who finished fourth inGroup 1) failing to qualify for the first time since1970.[32]France,which had been already designated as host of the1998 tournament,also missed out following surprise home losses toIsraelandBulgaria.[33]This was the second World Cup in a row for which France had failed to qualify, and the last one to date not to feature England, France, and Japan. Other notable absentees were 1986 and 1990 Round of 16 participantsUruguay,UEFA Euro 1992 championsDenmark,Poland,Portugal,andHungary.

List of qualified teams

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The following 24 teams, shown with their pre-tournamentFIFA World Ranking(in parentheses) from June 1994,[34]qualified for the final tournamentː

Squads

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Further information:1994 FIFA World Cup squads

Teams were selected following usual FIFA rules with 22 players. Greece, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and Spain were the only countries that had all their players coming from domestic teams, while the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria had no players from domestic teams. Saudi Arabia was the only team with no players from European teams.

Referees

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CAF
AFC
UEFA
CONCACAF
CONMEBOL

Draw

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Seeding and drawing

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TheFIFA Organizing Committeeupheld the tradition to seed the host (United States) and defending champion (Germany), along with the other four teams ranked in the top five based on their results obtained in the last three FIFA World Cups. The newly introducedFIFA World Rankingwas not used as part of the calculated ranking for the seeding in this World Cup, as FIFA considered it to be too new.[35]Despite that it was not used in any way, for comparison purposes the teams' pre-tournament FIFA World ranking position from June 1994 are shown in parentheses,[36]followed by the official and used ranking (OR) position determined by the results obtained in the last three world cups.

The six top-seeded teams, were allocated in pot 1 and would be drawn into the first position of the six groups playing in the group stage. The remaining 18 teams were allocated into three pots based on geographical sections, with the: six qualified teams from Africa and Americas in pot 2, the top-6 ranked European teams in pot 3, while pot 4 comprised the 7th-10th best qualified European teams along with the two qualified Asian teams.

The principle of the draw was that each of the six drawn groups would have one team drawn respectively from pot 1, 2, 3 and 4; while respecting the following geographical limitations:

  1. At least twoEuropean teams from UEFAin all groups, with one group having three European teams.
  2. United States and Mexico could not be drawn in the same group, because only oneCONCACAF teamper group.
  3. Brazil and Argentina could not be drawn with another South American team, because only oneCONMEBOL teamper group.
  4. As all qualifiedAsian teams from AFCwere in pot 4, and all qualifiedAfrican teams from CAFin pot 2, this automatically ensured only allowing maximum one Asian team and maximum one African team per group, as part of the normal draw procedure - without needing to observe special restricting sub-rules for them.
Pot 1
Top-seeded teams
(top 5 teams + hosts) 		Pot 2
Africa & Americas
(CAF,CONCACAFandCONMEBOL) 		Pot 3
Best unseeded from Europe
(UEFA) 		Pot 4
Asia and worst ranked from Europe
(AFCandUEFA)

Ahead of the draw, the FIFA Organizing Committee had decided to allocate the top-seeded first group position A1 for the United States as the host, C1 for defending champion Germany, and E1 for the Italian team, which had requested to play most of its group matches atGiants StadiuminNew York.The three other top-seeded teams would be located at the first position of either group B/D/F, with the decision largely depending on the identity of the other drawn group members for the seeded teams. Therefore, this last decision would only be made by a secret vote made by the FIFA Organizing Committee a few minutes after all teams had been drawn for all groups, and the decision would only be announced as the last step of the televised draw event. To make this procedure possible, the six drawn groups would during the draw be given the colors green, orange, white, black, pink and blue; and the closing remarks at the event would then reveal the group letters represented by the colors. The six groups from A to F would play their group matches in the following nine cities:[38]

Procedure for the draw:[39]

  1. Pot 1 was used to draw the six top-seeded teams into the first position of the six groups designated by the colors green, orange, white, black, pink and blue. Group letters behind each color would only be decided by a following secret FIFA Organizing Committee vote and only be revealed after the draw had been completed, although the committee had already predetermined ahead of the draw that (1) the United States should play in group A, (2) Germany should play in group C, and (3) Italy should play in group E.[38]
  2. Pot 2 was used to draw one team to each of the six colored groups, with the draw conducted in the color order from left to right (green, orange, white, black, pink, blue); while this order however at the same time had to respect the following restricted geographical rules:
    • Rule 1:First two drawn non South American teams shall irrespectively of the color order, first be drawn into the two groups led by a South American team, in order to avoid the possibility for these groups later to be drawn by a second South American team.
    • Rule 2:First drawn South American team or one of the last two African teams shall irrespectively of the color order, first be drawn into the group led by the CONCACAF team, the United States, in order to avoid the possibility for this group later to be drawn by the second CONCACAF team Mexico.
    • Rule 3:One of the two South American teams or one of the last two African teams shall irrespectively of the color order, first be drawn into the first available open group being led by a European team, in order to avoid the meeting of two South American teams in the same group.
    • Rule 4:Mexico can not be drawn together with the United States as they are both CONCACAF teams, so Mexico will be grouped with the first still open available group being led by a European or South American team, as per the color order.
  3. Pot 3 was used to draw one European team to each of the six colored groups, with the draw conducted in the color order from left to right (green, orange, white, black, pink, blue).
  4. Pot 4 was used to draw one European/Asian team to each of six colored groups, with the draw conducted in the color order from left to right (green, orange, white, black, pink, blue). However, in order to respect the geographical rule that five of the groups shall have two European teams - and the rule that three European teams is only allowed in one group, the color order will be skipped subject to these allocation rules:
    • Rule 1:All drawnAsian (AFC) teamswould not be drawn into any of the three groups led by a top-seeded CONCACAF/CONMEBOL team (United States/Brazil/Argentina), but would instead only be allowed to join a group being led by a top-seeded European team.
    • Rule 2:All drawnEuropean (UEFA) teams,shall first be drawn into the three groups led by a top-seeded CONCACAF/CONMEBOL team (United States/Brazil/Argentina), until the point of time when only European team(s) remain to be drawn from the last pot 4.
  5. The exact group position number for the teams (2, 3 or 4) in each colored group, were also drawn immediately from six special group bowls, after each respective team had been drawn from pot 2, 3 and 4.
  6. Group letters behind each color (green, orange, white, black, pink and blue) would finally be decided by a final secret FIFA Organizing Committee vote, being announced as the last part of the televised event.

The draw was officiated by FIFA general-secretarySepp Blatter.Teams were drawn by German legendFranz Beckenbauer,heavyweight boxing championEvander Holyfieldand comedian and actorRobin Williams.Numbers for placement in the group were drawn by actorBeau Bridges,Women's World Cup championMichelle Akers,modelCarol Alt,artistPeter Max,racecar driverMario Andrettiand Olympic gold medalist in gymnasticsMary Lou Retton.[40][41][39]

Results of the draw

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Group A
(blue) 		Group B
(orange) 		Group C
(green) 		Group D
(white) 		Group E
(pink) 		Group F
(black)
  1. United States
    (23, OR=18)
  2. Switzerland
    (12, OR=new)
  3. Colombia
    (17, OR=13)
  4. Romania
    (7, OR=12)
  1. Brazil
    (3, OR=4)
  2. Russia
    (19, OR=7)
  3. Cameroon
    (24, OR=9)
  4. Sweden
    (10, OR=17)
  1. Germany
    (1, OR=1)
  2. Bolivia
    (43, OR=new)
  3. Spain
    (5, OR=6)
  4. South Korea
    (37, OR=16)
  1. Argentina
    (8, OR=2)
  2. Greece
    (31, OR=new)
  3. Nigeria
    (11, OR=new)
  4. Bulgaria
    (29, OR=15)
  1. Italy
    (4, OR=3)
  2. Ireland
    (14, OR=10)
  3. Norway
    (6, OR=new)
  4. Mexico
    (16, OR=8)
  1. Belgium
    (27, OR=5)
  2. Morocco
    (28, OR=11)
  3. Netherlands
    (2, OR=14)
  4. Saudi Arabia
    (34, OR=new)

In each group, the teams played three games, one against each of the other teams. After completion of the group stage, the best two teams in each group, as well as thefour best-ranked third-place teams,advanced to the round of 16 in theknockout stage.This format was identical to the tournament structure used in1986and1990except that a win now earned three points instead of two, to encourage more attacking play.

Summary

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The format of the competition stayed the same as in the1990 World Cup:24 teams qualified, divided into six groups of four. Sixteen teams would qualify for the knockout phase: the six group winners, the six group runners-up, and the four third-placed teams with the best records. This was the last time this format was used, due to theexpansion of the finals tournament in 1998to 32 teams. FIFA introduced three rule changes for this tournament to encourage attacking play:three points awarded for a winin a group stage match instead of two, a relaxedoffside ruleand aban on picking up back-passes to goalkeepers.The number of goals increased to 2.73 per game from the record-low of 2.21 in 1990.[42]

The tournament saw the end ofDiego Maradona's World Cup career, having played in the1982,1986,and1990 World Cups,and leadingArgentinato the 1986 World Cup title and the final of the 1990 World Cup. Maradona was expelled from the tournament by FIFA after he failed a drug test that uncoveredephedrine,a weight-loss drug, in his blood.Colombia,despite high expectations due to their style and impressive qualifying campaign,failed to advance from the round robin.The team was dogged by influence from betting syndicates and drug cartels, with coachFrancisco Maturanareceiving death threats over squad selection.[43][44]After scoring an own goal for theUnited Statesand effectively eliminating Colombia from the competition, defenderAndrés Escobarwas shot to death on his return to Colombia outside a bar in aMedellínsuburb 10 days later, possibly in retaliation for his mistake.[45]

Lothar Matthäusscoring a penalty kick in Germany's quarterfinal against Bulgaria atGiants Stadiumon July 10. Bulgaria came back to win the game.

Bulgariawas one of the biggest surprises of the tournament. The Bulgarians had never won a game in five previous World Cup appearances, but, led byHristo Stoichkov,who would eventually share the tournament lead inscoring,they presented a formidable challenge for the title. The team won two of their three group games to qualify for the second round, where they advanced after a 3–1 penalty shootout win overMexico.They then faced reigning world championsGermanyin the quarterfinals, where goals from Stoichkov andLetchkovgave them a 2–1 victory.[46]Bulgaria went on to finish in fourth place after losing to Italy in the semifinals and Sweden in the third-place game.

The host nation United States, after a 23rd-place finish in the 1990 tournament, advanced to the second round as one of the best third-place teams. They were eliminated in the Round of 16 in a 1–0 defeat toBrazilonIndependence Day.

Brazil's win over the hosts helped take them to the final againstItaly.Brazil's path was relatively smooth as they never trailed over 270 minutes of the knockout stage, defeating theNetherlandsin the quarterfinals andSwedenin the semis after the aforementioned win over the hosts. The Italians meanwhile had made hard work of reaching the final. During the group stage, Italy struggled and narrowly advanced to the next round, despite losing 1–0 to theRepublic of Ireland.Italian playmakerRoberto Baggio,who as the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon D'Or holder, was expected[by whom?]to be one of the stars of the tournament,[citation needed]had not yet scored a goal. During the Round of 16 games againstNigeria,Italy was trailing 1–0 in the dying minutes when Baggio scored the tying goal, forcing the game intoextra time.He scored again with a penalty kick to send Italy through. Baggio carried the Italians from there, scoring the game-winning goal in the quarterfinal againstSpain,and both goals in Italy's semifinal victory over Bulgaria.[47]

The third-place playoff was set between Bulgaria and Sweden, the team which scored more goals than any other in this World Cup with 15 over seven matches. These teams had also previously met in thequalifying group.Sweden won, 4–0. Swedish forwardTomas Brolinwas named to the All-star team.[48]

Thefinal gameat theRose Bowlwas tense but devoid of scoring chances. It was the second time in24 yearsthat the two nations had met in afinal.After 120 goalless minutes, the World Cup was decided for the first time by a penalty shootout. After four rounds, Brazil led 3–2, and Baggio, playing injured, had to score to keep Italy's hopes alive.[47]He missed by shooting it over the crossbar, and the Brazilians were crowned champions for the fourth time.[49]After the game ended,Vice PresidentAl Gorehosted the awarding ceremony by handing Brazilian captainDungathe prestigious trophy; the Brazil national team dedicated the title to the deceasedFormula Onemotor racing champion and countrymanAyrton Senna,who haddied two and a half months prior.[50]

The tournament'sGolden Bootwent jointly to Bulgaria's Stoichkov andOleg SalenkoofRussia,the latter becoming the first player to score five goals in a game, coming in a 6–1 victory againstCameroon.Both players scored six goals in the tournament. Brazilian strikerRomário,with five goals, won theGolden Ballas the tournament's best player.[49]

Despite the controversy, the U.S. staged a hugely successful tournament, with an average attendance of nearly 70,000, surpassing the1966 FIFA World Cupaverage attendance of 51,000, thanks to the large seating capacities of the stadiums in the United States in comparison to the generally smaller venues of Europe and Latin America. To this day, the total attendance for the final tournament of nearly 3.6 million remains the highest in World Cup history, despite the expansion of the competition from 24 to 32 teams at the 1998 World Cup in France.[5]

Opening ceremony

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PresidentBill Clinton(left, white shirt) and First LadyHillary Clinton(in blue, wearing sunglasses) watching the opening match in Chicago.

The opening ceremony of the World Cup was held on June 17 at Chicago's Soldier Field. The ceremony wasemceedbyOprah Winfrey,who introducedDiana Ross:she gave a musical performance. Ross was also intended to score apenaltyat the beginning of her performance, with the goal then splitting in two as part of a pre-orchestrated stunt.[51]Instead, she kicked the ball wide to the left, missing the goal, but the goalposts collapsed anyway in accordance with the stunt plans. In addition,Daryl HallandJon Secadaalso gave musical performances.[52]It was officially opened by then-PresidentBill Clinton.[53]

Group stage

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Times areEastern Daylight Time(UTC−4) (East Rutherford, Foxborough, Orlando, Pontiac and Washington),Central Daylight Time(UTC−5) (Chicago and Dallas), andPacific Daylight Time(UTC−7) (Pasadena and Stanford).

In the following tables:

  • Pld= total games played
  • W= total games won
  • D= total games drawn (tied)
  • L= total games lost
  • GF= total goals scored (goals for)
  • GA= total goals conceded (goals against)
  • GD= goal difference (GF−GA)
  • Pts= total points accumulated

Group A

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Main article:1994 FIFA World Cup Group A

The Group A game between the United States and Switzerland was the first to take place indoors, played under the roof at the Pontiac Silverdome.

Following the tournament, Colombian defenderAndrés Escobarwas shot dead on his return to Colombia, possibly in retaliation, after his own goal had contributed to his country's elimination.

Victories against Colombia and the United States (in front of a crowd of 93,869) were enough to see Romania through as group winners, despite a 4–1 hammering by Switzerland in between. The magnitude of that victory allowed Switzerland to move ahead of the United States on goal difference, although the hosts qualified for the second round as one of the best third-placed teams.

Switzerland's 4–1 victory over Romania came nearly 40 years to the date of Switzerland's last World Cup victory, also a 4–1 victory, on that occasion over Italy. The United States' 2–1 victory over Colombia was its first World Cup victory since June 29, 1950, when it upsetEngland 1–0in the 1950 World Cup.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Romania 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 6 Advance toknockout stage
2 Switzerland 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 4
3 United States(H) 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
4 Colombia 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
Source:FIFA
(H)Hosts
United States1–1Switzerland
Wynalda45' Report Bregy39'
Attendance: 73,425
Colombia1–3Romania
Valencia43' Report Răducioiu16',89'
Hagi34'
Attendance: 91,856
Romania1–4Switzerland
Hagi35' Report Sutter16'
Chapuisat52'
Knup65',72'
Attendance: 61,428
United States2–1Colombia
Escobar35' (o.g.)
Stewart52'		 Report Valencia90'
Attendance: 93,869
Switzerland0–2Colombia
Report Gaviria44'
Lozano90'
Attendance: 83,401
United States0–1Romania
Report Petrescu18'
Attendance: 93,869

Group B

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Main article:1994 FIFA World Cup Group B

Group B produced two of the four semifinalists of this World Cup — Brazil and Sweden — and was also one of the two groups in which only two, rather than three, sides progressed to the second round. The match between the two eliminated teams, Cameroon and Russia, broke two World Cup records. Oleg Salenko of Russia became the first – and remains the only[citation needed]– man to score five goals in a single World Cup game as Russia won 6–1. The goals also ensured that Salenko finished the tournament joint-top scorer with six goals, having previously bagged one against Sweden. Cameroon left a mark too as Roger Milla, at the age of 42, became the oldest World Cup goalscorer of all time, as he grabbed his side's consolation goal in the game. The result was not enough to take Russia through following losses to Brazil and Sweden. Brazil beat Cameroon, and then confirmed the top spot with a draw to Sweden.

The Swedes also progressed, finishing in second place with five points. Sweden's 3–1 victory over Russia was the nation's first World Cup victory since July 3, 1974. Russia failed to progress to the second round for the second time (accounting for the Soviet Union's results four years before), while Cameroon failed to repeat their surprise performance from the previous tournament.[54]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Brazil 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 7 Advance toknockout stage
2 Sweden 3 1 2 0 6 4 +2 5
3 Russia 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1 3
4 Cameroon 3 0 1 2 3 11 −8 1
Source:FIFA
Cameroon2–2Sweden
Embé31'
Omam-Biyik47'		 Report Ljung8'
Dahlin75'
Attendance: 93,194
Brazil2–0Russia
Romário26'
Raí52' (pen.)		 Report
Attendance: 81,061
Brazil3–0Cameroon
Romário39'
Márcio Santos66'
Bebeto73'		 Report
Attendance: 83,401
Sweden3–1Russia
Brolin39' (pen.)
Dahlin60',82'		 Report Salenko4' (pen.)
Attendance: 71,528
Russia6–1Cameroon
Salenko15',41',44' (pen.),72',75'
Radchenko81'		 Report Milla46'
Attendance: 74,914
Brazil1–1Sweden
Romário47' Report K. Andersson23'
Attendance: 77,217

Group C

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Main article:1994 FIFA World Cup Group C

As was the case with Group B, Group C would only send two teams into the Round of 16 as Spain and defending champions Germany progressed to round two. Coming from two goals down with four minutes left to snatch a 2–2 draw against Spain, the South Koreans very nearly eclipsed that feat against Germany when they came from 3–0 down to lose narrowly 3–2. In spite of these comebacks, South Korea was held to a 0–0 draw against Bolivia in their other group game when a win would have seen them through. Spain's late implosion against the South Koreans effectively decided that it would be Germany who won the group and not them.

Germany, who defeated Bolivia 1–0 in the tournament's opening game, finished with seven points. Spain had to settle for second place despite leading in all three games.

Despite Bolivia finishing last in the group, Erwin Sanchez made team history after scoring the nation's first World Cup goal in a 3–1 loss to Spain. Prior to 1994, Bolivia had never scored in either of their previous appearances at the 1930 and 1950 World Cups.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Germany 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 7 Advance toknockout stage
2 Spain 3 1 2 0 6 4 +2 5
3 South Korea 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2
4 Bolivia 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1
Source:FIFA
Germany1–0Bolivia
Klinsmann61' Report
Attendance: 63,117
Spain2–2South Korea
Salinas51'
Goikoetxea55'		 Report Hong Myung-bo85'
Seo Jung-won90'
Attendance: 56,247
Germany1–1Spain
Klinsmann48' Report Goikoetxea14'
Attendance: 63,113
South Korea0–0Bolivia
Report
Attendance: 54,453
Bolivia1–3Spain
E. Sánchez67' Report Guardiola19' (pen.)
Caminero66',70'
Attendance: 63,089
Germany3–2South Korea
Klinsmann12',37'
Riedle20'		 Report Hwang Sun-hong52'
Hong Myung-bo63'
Attendance: 63,998

Group D

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Main article:1994 FIFA World Cup Group D

Tournament favorites Argentina led by Diego Maradona collected a maximum of six points from their opening two games after dominating Greece 4–0 in Foxboro with a Gabriel Batistuta hattrick before winning a close match against a formidable Nigeria with a 2–1 victory on the same field four days later; despite this Argentina finished third in the group. Nigeria had been very impressive on their World Cup debut, and despite the narrow loss to Argentina, had emerged as group winners following victories against Bulgaria and Greece, the latter in which Nigeria doubled its lead late on a goal from Daniel Amokachi – a goal that would allow Nigeria to top its group. Maradona only played with Argentina during their first two games, both in Foxborough (playing Greece and Nigeria and scoring his last ever World Cup goal against the former); he was thrown out of the tournament after testing positive for ephedrine.

Having qualified for the tournament through a last-gasp goal against France, Bulgaria surprised many people, as the nation had never even won a game at the World Cup finals prior to this tournament. Despite losing its opening game 3–0 to Nigeria, Bulgaria came back in style with a 4–0 win over neighbor Greece (who had suffered exactly the same fate five days earlier against Argentina), and a 2–0 win against Argentina saw them advance. Argentina had actually been winning the group going into injury time, while Bulgaria played the last 25 minutes with 10 men; however, a 91st-minute header fromNasko Sirakovmeant that Argentina dropped two places and finished third. Nigeria won the group on goal difference. Bulgaria's victory over Argentina earned them second place.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Nigeria 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6 Advance toknockout stage
2 Bulgaria 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
3 Argentina 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
4 Greece 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0
Source:FIFA
Argentina4–0Greece
Batistuta2',44',90' (pen.)
Maradona60'		 Report
Attendance: 54,456
Nigeria3–0Bulgaria
Yekini21'
Amokachi43'
Amunike55'		 Report
Attendance: 44,132
Argentina2–1Nigeria
Caniggia21',28' Report Siasia8'
Attendance: 54,453
Bulgaria4–0Greece
Stoichkov5' (pen.),55' (pen.)
Letchkov65'
Borimirov90'		 Report
Attendance: 63,160
Argentina0–2Bulgaria
Report Stoichkov61'
Sirakov90+3'
Attendance: 63,998
Greece0–2Nigeria
Report George45+2'
Amokachi90+5'
Attendance: 53,001

Group E

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Main article:1994 FIFA World Cup Group E
Italy and Norway getting ready to play at Giants Stadium

Group E remains the only group in World Cup history in which all four teams finished with the same points. All four teams even had the same goal difference. It began at Giants Stadium whereRay Houghton's chip ensured a shock Irish victory over the then-three-time champions Italy by 1–0, as well as gaining a measure of revenge forthe previous World Cup,in which Italy both hosted and eliminated Ireland at the quarterfinal stage. The next day in Washington, Norway played its first World Cup game since 1938 andKjetil Rekdal's goal five minutes from time proved decisive in an equally tense encounter as Norway beat Mexico.

In the second round of group play,Luis García's double had Mexico 2–0 up and in control of the game before a disagreement on the touchline resulted in fines for both Republic of Ireland's manager,Jack Charlton,and their strikerJohn Aldridge.Aldridge was able to regain concentration in time to score six minutes from the end of the game to make it 2–1. Despite their loss, Aldridge's goal proved crucial to Ireland in the final group standings.

During the previous day at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Italy's World Cup hopes seemed to be diminishing fast as goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca was sent off with the game still at 0–0. Yet despite this, Italy was still able to salvage an important 1–0 victory. Norway would ultimately pay a price for their inability to take advantage of Pagliuca's dismissal. With the four teams level on points, the final two group games would each have to finish as draws for things to stay that way. Republic of Ireland made it through after a dreary 0–0 draw with Norway; while Massaro and Bernal traded strikes as Italy and Mexico played to a 1–1 draw.

Those results meant that Mexico won the group on goals scored, with three in the group. With Ireland and Italy also progressing having finished with identical records, the Irish team qualified as second place as a result of their victory against the Italians. Norway's shortcomings in attack ultimately let them down, and they exited the tournament with only one goal.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Mexico 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4 Advance toknockout stage
2 Republic of Ireland 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
3 Italy 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
4 Norway 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4
Source:FIFA
Italy0–1Republic of Ireland
Report Houghton11'
Attendance: 75,338
Norway1–0Mexico
Rekdal84' Report
Attendance: 52,395
Italy1–0Norway
D. Baggio69' Report
Attendance: 74,624
Mexico2–1Republic of Ireland
García42',65' Report Aldridge84'
Attendance: 60,790
Italy1–1Mexico
Massaro48' Report Bernal57'
Attendance: 52,535
Republic of Ireland0–0Norway
Report
Attendance: 72,404

Group F

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Main article:1994 FIFA World Cup Group F

Just as happened to Argentina in Group D, Belgium endured the same fate in Group F. Despite winning both of its first two matches 1–0 against Morocco and neighbors Netherlands, Belgium finished third as, in an upset, it lost to tournament newcomers Saudi Arabia 1–0 in the third game. During that game, Saudi player Saaed Al-Owairan ran from his own half through a maze of Belgian players to score the game's only goal.

Saudi Arabia advanced through to the Round of 16 as well, having also defeated Morocco 2–1. The Netherlands endured a somewhat nervier experience. The opening 2–1 victory against Saudi Arabia was followed by the 1–0 loss against Belgium before another 2–1 victory against Morocco, with Bryan Roy scoring the winner a mere 12 minutes from time, saw the Dutch win the group having scored more goals than Belgium and beaten Saudi Arabia. Morocco, despite losing all three of their group games, did not leave without a fight, as each of their losses were by just a single goal, 1–0 to Belgium, 2–1 to Saudi Arabia, and 2–1 to the Netherlands.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Netherlands 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6 Advance toknockout stage
2 Saudi Arabia 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
3 Belgium 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 6
4 Morocco 3 0 0 3 2 5 −3 0
Source:FIFA
Belgium1–0Morocco
Degryse11' Report
Attendance: 61,219
Netherlands2–1Saudi Arabia
Jonk50'
Taument86'		 Report Anwar18'
Attendance: 50,535
Belgium1–0Netherlands
Albert65' Report
Attendance: 62,387
Saudi Arabia2–1Morocco
Al-Jaber7' (pen.)
Anwar45'		 Report Chaouch26'
Attendance: 76,322
Belgium0–1Saudi Arabia
Report Al-Owairan5'
Attendance: 52,959
Morocco1–2Netherlands
Nader47' Report Bergkamp43'
Roy77'
Attendance: 60,578

Ranking of third-placed teams

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Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D Argentina 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6 Advance toknockout stage
2 F Belgium 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 6
3 A United States 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
4 E Italy 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
5 B Russia 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1 3
6 C South Korea 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2
Source:FIFA

Knockout stage

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Main article:1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

Bracket

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Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
July 3 –Pasadena
Romania3
July 10 –Stanford
Argentina2
Romania2 (4)
July 3 –Dallas
Sweden(p)2 (5)
Saudi Arabia1
July 13 –Pasadena
Sweden3
Sweden0
July 4 –Orlando
Brazil1
Netherlands2
July 9 –Dallas
Republic of Ireland0
Netherlands2
July 4 –Stanford
Brazil3
Brazil1
July 17 –Pasadena
United States0
Brazil(p)0 (3)
July 5 –East Rutherford
Italy0 (2)
Mexico1 (1)
July 10 –East Rutherford
Bulgaria(p)1 (3)
Bulgaria2
July 2 –Chicago
Germany1
Germany3
July 13 –East Rutherford
Belgium2
Bulgaria1
July 5 –Foxborough
Italy2 Third place playoff
Nigeria1
July 9 –FoxboroughJuly 16 –Pasadena
Italy(a.e.t.)2
Italy2Sweden4
July 2 –Washington
Spain1 Bulgaria0
Spain3
Switzerland0

Round of 16

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Germany3–2Belgium
Völler6',38'
Klinsmann11'		 Report Grün8'
Albert90'
Attendance: 60,246
Spain3–0Switzerland
Hierro15'
Luis Enrique74'
Begiristain86' (pen.)		 Report
Attendance: 53,121
Saudi Arabia1–3Sweden
Al-Ghesheyan85' Report Dahlin6'
K. Andersson51',88'
Attendance: 60,277
Romania3–2Argentina
Dumitrescu11',18'
Hagi58'		 Report Batistuta16' (pen.)
Balbo75'
Attendance: 90,469
Netherlands2–0Republic of Ireland
Bergkamp11'
Jonk41'		 Report
Attendance: 61,355
Brazil1–0United States
Bebeto72' Report
Attendance: 84,147
Nigeria1–2 (a.e.t.)Italy
Amunike25' Report R. Baggio88',102' (pen.)
Attendance: 54,367
Mexico1–1 (a.e.t.)Bulgaria
García Aspe18' (pen.) Report Stoichkov6'
Penalties
García Aspe
Bernal
Rodríguez
Suárez		 1–3 Balakov
Genchev
Borimirov
Letchkov
Attendance: 71,030

Quarterfinals

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Italy2–1Spain
D. Baggio25'
R. Baggio88'		 Report Caminero58'
Attendance: 53,400
Netherlands2–3Brazil
Bergkamp64'
Winter76'		 Report Romário53'
Bebeto63'
Branco81'
Attendance: 63,500
Bulgaria2–1Germany
Stoichkov75'
Letchkov78'		 Report Matthäus47' (pen.)
Attendance: 72,000
Romania2–2 (a.e.t.)Sweden
Răducioiu88',101' Report Brolin78'
K. Andersson115'
Penalties
Răducioiu
Hagi
Lupescu
Petrescu
Dumitrescu
Belodedici		 4–5 Mild
K. Andersson
Brolin
Ingesson
R. Nilsson
Larsson
Attendance: 83,500

Semifinals

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Bulgaria1–2Italy
Stoichkov44' (pen.) Report R. Baggio21',25'
Attendance: 74,110
Sweden0–1Brazil
Report Romário80'
Attendance: 91,856

Third place playoff

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Sweden4–0Bulgaria
Brolin8'
Mild30'
Larsson37'
K. Andersson39'		 Report
Attendance: 91,500

Final

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Main article:1994 FIFA World Cup final
Brazil0–0 (a.e.t.)Italy
Report
Penalties
Márcio Santos
Romário
Branco
Dunga		 3–2 Baresi
Albertini
Evani
Massaro
R. Baggio
Attendance: 94,194

Statistics

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Goalscorers

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Hristo StoichkovandOleg Salenkoreceived theGolden Bootfor scoring six goals.[55]In total, 141 goals were scored by 81 players, with only one of them credited as an own goal.

6 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

Own goals

Awards

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Golden Shoe Golden Ball Yashin Award Best Young Player FIFA Fair Play Trophy Most Entertaining Team
Hristo Stoichkov
Oleg Salenko 		Romário Michel Preud'homme Marc Overmars Brazil Brazil

All-star team

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The All-star team is a squad consisting of the eleven most impressive players at the 1994 World Cup, as selected by FIFA's Technical Study Group.

Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards

Michel Preud'homme

Jorginho
Márcio Santos
Paolo Maldini

Dunga
Krasimir Balakov
Gheorghe Hagi
Tomas Brolin

Romário
Hristo Stoichkov
Roberto Baggio

Final standings

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After the tournament, FIFA published a ranking of all teams that competed in the 1994 World Cup finals based on progress in the competition, overall results and quality of the opposition.[56]

R Team G P W D L GF GA GD Pts.
1 Brazil B 7 5 2 0 11 3 +8 17
2 Italy E 7 4 2 1 8 5 +3 14
3 Sweden B 7 3 3 1 15 8 +7 12
4 Bulgaria D 7 3 1 3 10 11 −1 10
Eliminated in the quarterfinals
5 Germany C 5 3 1 1 9 7 +2 10
6 Romania A 5 3 1 1 10 9 +1 10
7 Netherlands F 5 3 0 2 8 6 +2 9
8 Spain C 5 2 2 1 10 6 +4 8
Eliminated in the round of 16
9 Nigeria D 4 2 0 2 7 4 +3 6
10 Argentina D 4 2 0 2 8 6 +2 6
11 Belgium F 4 2 0 2 4 4 0 6
12 Saudi Arabia F 4 2 0 2 5 6 −1 6
13 Mexico E 4 1 2 1 4 4 0 5
14 United States A 4 1 1 2 3 4 −1 4
15 Switzerland A 4 1 1 2 5 7 −2 4
16 Republic of Ireland E 4 1 1 2 2 4 −2 4
Eliminated in the group stage
17 Norway E 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4
18 Russia B 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1 3
19 Colombia A 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
20 South Korea C 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2
21 Bolivia C 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1
22 Cameroon B 3 0 1 2 3 11 −8 1
23 Morocco F 3 0 0 3 2 5 −3 0
24 Greece D 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0

Disciplinary statistics

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Symbols

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Mascot

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Striker, the officialmascotof the tournament.

Theofficial mascotof this World Cup was "Striker, the World Cup Pup", a dog wearing ared, white and bluesoccer uniform with a ball.[57]Striker was designed by theWarner Bros.animation team.[58]A dog was picked as the mascot because dogs are a popular domestic pet in the United States.[58]

Match ball

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Main article:Adidas Questra

Theofficial match ballwas "Questra",manufactured byAdidas.[59]Following the convention of the addition of decorations to the establishedAdidas Tangostyle since theAztecaand theEtrusco Unico,this one featured space-themed decorations, not only due to its name, but that 1994 marked the 25th anniversary of theApollo 11 missionin which the first Moon landing took place, which is considered to be one of the most important moments in the history of the host country and the world.

Music

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Main article:Gloryland World Cup USA 94

Theofficial songwas "Gloryland".[60]

Aftermath and legacy

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Main article:Score bug
The large capacity stadiums enabled huge, enthusiastic crowds to attend the games, such as this one at theGiants Stadiumquarterfinal game.
  • Although USA '94 marked the seventh time FIFA hosted the World Cup in the Americas (after being held inUruguay,Brazil,Chile,Argentina,and twice by Mexico in1970and1986), the United States became the first host in the Americas outside of the Latin American spectrum, and the first in the Anglosphere outside of England.
  • The game between theUnited StatesandSwitzerlandat thePontiac Silverdomeon June 18 was the first to be played indoors in World Cup history: grass was grown byMichigan State Universityand was the first time since 1965 (the failed attempt at theAstrodome) that natural turf was used in an indoor stadium in the United States. To date, onlySapporo Domein 2002 andArena AufSchalkein 2006 have subsequently hosted indoor games in World Cup history.
  • Oleg SalenkoofRussiabecame the first player to score five goals in a single World Cup finals game in his country's group stage win overCameroon.Cameroon'sRoger Millaalso scored a goal in the same game, becoming the oldest player to score a goal in a World Cup. At 42, he was also the oldest player to appear in a World Cup, a record held until 2014, whenFaryd Mondragón(43 years, 3 days) ofColombiabroke the record in their game againstJapanat the2014 FIFA World Cup.In turn, goalkeeperEssam El Hadary(45 years, 161 days) ofEgyptwould surpass Mondragón againstSaudi Arabia,in the Volgograd Arena, Volgograd, Russia, on June 25, 2018. However, Milla remains the oldest outfield player to perform in the World Cup.
  • For the first time, during the entering of the players onto the field, the FIFA Anthem, composed by Franz Lambert, was played.
  • Gianluca PagliucaofItalybecame the first goalkeeper to be sent off in a World Cup game, dismissed for handling outside his area againstNorway.
  • Brazil's eleven goals in their seven games was a record for the lowest average goals scored per game for any World Cup-winning side, but this record was broken by Spain's eight goals in 2010. The three goals Brazil conceded in those seven games was at the time also the lowest average goals conceded per game, although this was subsequently surpassed by France in 1998, Italy in 2006, and Spain in 2010.
  • The finals were the first time FIFA decided to experiment with the style of jerseys worn by officials, forgoing the traditional black. They could choose between burgundy, yellow or silver shirts depending on what was necessary to avoid a clash of colors with the two competing teams. This custom has since been followed, but with black shirts added as an option later.
  • The finals were also the first time that players had their shirt numbers printed on the center front (or on the right or left breast, in Morocco's and Russia's case respectively) of the shirt, as well as their names printed on the back of their jerseys in a World Cup, just as other American sports did, to make their identification easier for sportscasters. This custom followed fromEuro 92,and has continued ever since (although numbers printed on the center front had been experimented during the1991 FIFA U-20 World Cupheld in Portugal).
  • The finals were the first to award3 points for a winin the group stage to motivate teams to play an attacking style.
  • In disciplinary matters, for the first timeyellow cardsaccumulated in the group stage were wiped clean after its completion, and players started with a clean slate at the start of the knockout stage. Previously, players were suspended for one game if accumulating two yellow cards throughout the tournament. Now, players were suspended for one game after accumulating two yellow cards in the group stage, or two yellow cards in the knockout stage. This was in response to the situation in 1990, where players such asClaudio CaniggiaandPaul Gascoignewere suspended for the later games.
  • The 1994 World Cup revolutionized television coverage of sports in the United States and then worldwide through the sponsored scoreboard and game clock that were constantly shown on screen throughout the game. Being fully privately-funded, television sports coverage in the United States had long relied upon commercial breaks, a feature suitable for sports such asbaseball,basketball,ice hockey,andAmerican football(which all have breaks in the action), but long considered incompatible with soccer, due to the long stretches of uninterrupted play. Led byFox Sports,which debuted its NFL coverage about a month following the completion of the World Cup, virtually every television network included their version of the scoreboard clock by the decade's end.
  • The 1994 World Cup final was the first (and to date only) goalless final in World Cup history. It was also the first to be decided by a penalty shootout, followed by the2006and2022finals.
  • This was the last World Cup in which games other than the last two in each group were played simultaneously, although this only happened once in this tournament: Saudi Arabia vs. Morocco and Belgium vs. Netherlands in Group F. FromFrance '98onwards, each game in the first two rounds of group play and the whole knockout stage have been played separately to maximize television audiences.
  • This was the last World Cup featuring 24 nations, and the last in which third-placed teams were still able to progress to the round of 16. From 1998 on, there were 32 nations, with only the top two in each group progressing.
  • This was the first and the last World Cup in which both teams taking part in the third-place game, Sweden and Bulgaria, received bronze medals from FIFA, although only the winner was credited with finishing third.

See also

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References

edit
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  2. ^"World Cup Moments, 1994: Penalties decide low key but financially successful American tournament".The Malta Independent.
  3. ^McMullen, Paul (July 19, 1994)."U.S. Cup brimming with profits WORLD CUP 1994".Baltimore Sun.
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  6. ^Das, Andrew (April 8, 2017)."U.S., Mexico and Canada Likely to Affirm Joint World Cup Bid".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 25,2020.
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