1994 FIFA World Cup (USA '94) - U.S. Soccer U.S. Soccer Licensees World Cup USA 1994 was the most successful event in FIFA history, demonstrating that the United States is without peer in staging major international events, and that Americans can embrace the world’s most popular sport. The cumulative attendance of 3,587,538 broke the previous record by more than 1 million, and the average attendance for the 52-game tournament of 68,991 also established a new mark. U.S. stadia were filled to approximately 96 percent capacity during the World Cup. The success of the U.S. team, which advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 1930, helped boost already high U.S. television ratings. Approximately 11 million Americans were tuned in to the USA vs. Brazil round of 16 match on July 4, an all-time high for soccer in the United States. In the final, after a scoreless regulation and overtime, Brazil defeated Italy on penalty kicks 3-2 to become the first country to win four World Cup titles.

World Cup matches were played at nine venues — the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. (including the final); Foxboro (Mass.) Stadium; Soldier Field in Chicago; the Cotton Bowl in Dallas; the Pontiac (Mich.) Silverdome; Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.; the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.; Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif.; and RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. World Cup USA 1994 also left behind a legacy for soccer in the U.S. A surplus of approximately $50 million — more than double original projections — was contributed to the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the U.S. Soccer organization created to administer the World Cup surplus. Improved training facilities and renovated stadiums in World Cup communities, upgraded to meet FIFA standards, will serve as a reminder of the success of World Cup USA 1994 for years to come. Follow Us World Cups Revisited: The Story of USA 1994 | Bleacher Report World Cups Revisited: The Story of USA 1994 Jamie McDonald/Getty Images John D.

Halloran Contributor IIJanuary 12, 2017 On July 4, 1988, FIFA made the controversial decision to give the 1994 World Cup to the United States. The U.S. team had qualified for the 1988 Olympics, proving that the sport did have a pulse, however small, in the U.S. and FIFA wanted to help reinvigorate soccer in America. The U.S. beat out finalists Brazil and Morocco for the right to host the tournament and FIFA was widely criticized. One journalist even compared the decision to “holding a major skiing competition in an African country.” America only had a microscopic soccer culture at that point and even though it was one of the most popular sports to participate in among American youths, it still had not grabbed the attention of the populace. Professional soccer in America had died when the North American Soccer League folded in 1984 and few seemed to care. Nonetheless, the tournament became an important opportunity to spread the game in America and gave the world some great moments to look back on. The Group Stage The 1994 World Cup took place in a world that was just coming out of the Cold War.

For the first time ever, Russia competed as Russia, not as Soviet Union. And Germany, who had won the tournament in 1990 as West Germany, came into the tournament competing as a unified German team for the first time since 1938. The opening ceremonies of the tournament were steeped both in the ridiculousness of 1990’s culture and America’s attempt to add its own pageantry to the game. In Chicago, at Soldier Field, talk show host Oprah Winfrey emceed a ceremony which concluded with Diana Ross singing and dancing her way up the field to take a penalty—which she missed. The 1994 tournament was also the last of the old 24-team format, but the first World Cup in which three points were awarded for a win instead of two points under the old format. This last change, along with the rule that eliminated the goalkeeper’s ability to pick up a backpass, occurred as a result of what many saw as an overly defensive World Cup in 1990. The day after the tournament opened, despite only being the group stage, gave fans one of the most memorable moments of the tournament.

Ireland was to take on Italy in New York City, a city largely populated by Irish and Italian immigrants to America in the 19th and early 20th century. On that day, Ireland got the better of world powerhouse Italy 1-0 on a beautiful strike by Irish midfielder Ray Houghton. The group stage of the 1994 World Cup also saw the end of footballing legend and Argentine captain Diego Maradona’s international career. He had played with the team in their first two games, both victories. Then, on June 30, just hours before Argentina was to play their final group-stage match, it was announced that Maradona had been removed from the tournament for failing a drug test. He had led the team to the championship in 1986 and a second place finish in 1990, but would play no further part. After he left the squad, Argentina lost 2-0 to Bulgaria in the final game of the group stage and then 3-2 to Romania in the Round of 16. The U.S. team also had several notable moments in the group stage.

They had managed to tie Switzerland, 1-1, on a free kick by Eric Wynalda—a goal that has largely disappeared into the annals of history. But the biggest memory all soccer fans have of the U.S.’ run through the 1994 World Cup would come against Colombia several days later. Colombia had entered the tournament as one of the favorites and were led by their captain, the unmistakable Carlos Valderrama. The U.S. would win the game, 2-1, and Americans will forever remember the flag-draped celebrations that took place after the game. However, the true impact of what had happened that day did not become obvious until 10 days later. On July 2, Colombian defender Andres Escobar, who had scored an own goal during the game against the U.S., was murdered back home in Colombia in what was widely reported as a revenge killing for his mistake in the game. The Knockout Rounds Roberto Baggio, a star with Italian powerhouse Juventus, had entered the tournament with many expecting him to be the star.

He had been the Ballon d’Or winner and FIFA World Player of the Year in 1993 and had finished second and third, respectively, in those awards in 1994. However, through Italy’s first three matches and 88 minutes of their Round of 16 game, he had yet to score. But Baggio finally managed to break his slump at the most important moment. With Nigeria only minutes away from a massive upset, Baggio scored to draw Italy level at 1-1. Then, in the 102nd minute of extra time, he won the game when he converted a penalty to push Italy through to the quarterfinals. The game against Nigeria sparked Baggio and he scored again in the quarterfinals, again dramatically in the 88th minute against Spain to take Italy through to the next round. In the semifinals, Italy was set to meet Bulgaria. Bulagria had come out of nowhere in the tournament, led by their star and eventual Golden Boot winner, Hristo Stoichkov. Bulgaria had won four games en route to the semifinals, even eliminating defending champion Germany in the quarterfinals.

Against Bulgaria, Baggio once again proved to be the difference, scoring twice and leading Italy to the finals and leading himself to his own cruel destiny. Brazil had made their way to the finals with wins over Russia and Cameroon in the group stage, a victory over the hosts, the U.S., in the Round of 16 and a 3-2 win over the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals they faced Sweden, the only team they hadn’t beaten in group play. Brazil was led in the tournament by two legendary strikers, Romario and Bebeto, who finished with a combined eight goals. Romario ended up as the tournament’s Golden Ball winner as the best player and scored the winner against Sweden in the semifinals to put Brazil through. Bebeto became an iconic figure in the tournament because of his goal celebration honoring the birth of his child only days earlier, after he scored against the Dutch in the quarterfinals. In the final, Italy and Brazil battled for 120 scoreless minutes. Italy had come into the tournament having bitterly lost in penalties in the semi-finals of the 1990 tournament and now faced the prospect of winning or losing the entire tournament by the same fate.

In the fifth and final round of penalties, with Brazil leading 3-2 and Italy needing to score to keep its hopes alive, Roberto Baggio stepped to the spot. Since breaking out against Nigeria in the Round of 16, it had been his tournament. Now, the hopes of all of Italy rested on his shoulders. With the chance to keep Italy alive in the shootout, Baggio’s penalty sailed well over the crossbar and Brazil had won. Post-Script The 1994 tournament has left fans, both in the U.S. and throughout the world, with many great memories. Cameron forward Roger Milla, who was an unbelievable 42 years old in the tournament, scored against Russia and became not only the oldest player ever to play in a World Cup, but the oldest to ever score a goal. Saeed Al Owairan of Saudi Arabia scored one of the best goals in the history of international soccer, even though it has become largely forgotten. Perhaps it has become forgotten because he was not from a world football powerhouse, or perhaps because no one knew who he was. Still, it is worth watching as he took the ball starting in his own half and ran through four Belgian defenders before scoring.

The 1994 tournament also saw greats like Dennis Bergkamp and Jurgen Klinsmann. Bergkamp developed a fear of flying because of a scare during the 1994 tournament which affected his ability to play in European matches for the rest of his career. Klinsmann, of course, would later move to the United States and now manages its national team. For the United States, things would never be the same. Major League Soccer was launched in 1996 with 10 teams and recently announced plans to expand from its current 19 teams to 24. Professional soccer is alive and well in America and any European traveling to Portland, Seattle or Kansas City would not be able to argue there are not passionate and engaged fan bases. The 1994 tournament also gave the U.S. its first soccer “stars” in players like Earnie Stewart, Alexi Lalas, Tony Meola, Marcelo Balboa, Cobi Jones, John Harkes, Tab Ramos and Eric Wynalda—role models for future generations of American players.

Follow me on Twitter @JohnDHalloran Follow me on Facebook 1994 FIFA World Cup | Football Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia 1994 FIFA World Cup 1994 FIFA World Cup official logo Tournament details June 17–July 17, 1994 Teams 1998 → The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup , was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988. Brazil became the first nation to win four World Cup titles when they beat Italy 3–2 in a penalty shootout after the game ended 0–0 after extra-time, the first World Cup final to be decided on penalties. The official match ball was the Adidas Questra. Average attendance was nearly 69,000, which broke records that had stood since the 1966 World Cup .

The total attendance of nearly 3.6 million for the final tournament remains the highest in World Cup history, despite the expansion of the competition from 24 to 32 teams (and from 52 to 64 matches) in the 1998 World Cup . Contents [ show ] Qualification Greece , Nigeria , and Saudi Arabia qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time. Russia , competing independently for the first time after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, also qualified. The defending champions West Germany were united with their East German counterparts, representing the unified Germany for the first time since the 1938 World Cup . As a result of the strong performances by African teams in 1990 , Africa was given three spots for the first time, with Nigeria joining Cameroon and Morocco . Norway qualified for the first time since 1938, Bolivia for the first time since 1950, and Switzerland for the first time since 1966. The qualification campaigns of both Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were affected by political events.

The nation of Czechoslovakia dissolved in 1992, and the team completed its qualifying group under the name Representation of Czechs and Slovaks (RCS), but failed to reach the finals. Yugoslavia was suspended from international competition in 1992 as part of United Nations sanctions against the country as a result of the Yugoslav Wars. The sanctions were not lifted until 1994, by which time it was no longer possible for the team to qualify. Among other teams who failed to qualify were Uruguay and England. Hungary and France both failed to qualify for the second successive tournament, while Scotland failed to qualify for the first time since 1970. This was the only World Cup finals since 1938 for which neither England nor Scotland (nor indeed any of the British home nations) qualified, although the Republic of Ireland did qualify. Summary FIFA's decision to hold the event in the United States over the bids of Morocco and Brazil surprised many, due to the common perception that the United States had a relative lack of soccer fans.

FIFA hoped that by staging the world's most prestigious football tournament there, it would lead to a growth of interest in the sport - one condition FIFA imposed was the creation of a professional football league; Major League Soccer started play in 1996. Despite these misgivings, in terms of attendance the event was a success. The average attendance of nearly 69,000 shattered a record that had stood since 1950 World Cup, because of the bigger capacities of the American stadiums compared to those 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 to 32 teams in 1998 World Cup. Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, Italy and the United States were seeded for the final draw that took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 19, 1993. The format of the competition stayed the same as in the 1990 World Cup : 24 teams qualified, divided into six groups of four.

Sixteen teams would qualify for the knockout competition: 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 the expansion of the finals tournament in 1998 to 32 teams. This World Cup was the first in which three points were awarded for a win instead of two. FIFA instituted this feature to encourage attacking football after the defensive display of many teams at Italia '90 . The tournament saw the end of Diego Maradona 's World Cup career, having played in the 1982 , the 1986 — where he led Argentina to the World Cup title — and the 1990 World Cups , where he led them to the final. Maradona was expelled from the tournament after he failed a drug test which uncovered ephedrine, a weight loss drug, in his blood. Colombia , despite high expectations due to their style and impressive qualifying campaign, disappointed in the tournament, failed to advance from the round robin. The team was supposedly dogged by influence from betting syndicates and drug cartels, with coach Francisco Maturana receiving death threats over squad selection.

Defender Andrés Escobar was a tragic figure of this tournament, as in the group stage match against the United States national team , he scored an own goal which eliminated his team 2–1. Escobar was shot to death outside a bar in a Medellín suburb only ten days after the match, apparently in retaliation for the own goal. On the field, the biggest surprise of the tournament was Bulgaria . The Bulgarians had never won a match in five previous World Cup finals but, led by Hristo Stoichkov who eventually shared the tournament lead in scoring, they made a surprising run; Bulgaria won two of their three group matches to qualify for the second round, where they advanced with a 3–1 penalty shoot-out win over Mexico . Bulgaria then faced the reigning world champions, Germany , in the quarter-finals, where goals from Stoichkov and Yordan Letchkov gave them a 2–1 victory. Bulgaria went on to finish in fourth place after losing to Italy and Sweden, in the semi-finals and third-place match, respectively. The hosts advanced to the second round as one of the best third-place teams.

They played Brazil and, despite a 1–0 defeat, the United States' performance was considered a great success. Brazil's win over the United States helped take them to the final against Italy . While Brazil's path was relatively smooth as they defeated the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and Sweden in the semis (it was the second game between Sweden and Brazil in the tournament, the first ending 1–1), the Italians had made hard work of reaching the final game. During the group stage the Italian team struggled and narrowly advanced to the next round, despite losing 1–0 to the Republic of Ireland . Roberto Baggio , who was expected to be the shining star, had not scored a goal. During the Round of 16 match against Nigeria , Italy was trailing 1–0 in the dying minutes when Baggio scored the equalizer forcing the game into extra 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 quarter-final against Spain , and both goals in Italy's semi-final victory over Bulgaria. The final match at the Rose Bowl was tense, but devoid of scoring chances.

Despite the strategies implemented by FIFA to promote offensive play, both teams failed to produce a goal. After 120 goalless minutes, the World Cup was decided for the first time by a penalty shoot-out. After four rounds, Brazil led 3–2, and Baggio, playing injured, had to score to keep Italy's hopes alive. He missed by shooting it over the bar, and Brazil were crowned champions. The trophy was handed to captain Dunga from the hands of the vice-president Al Gore . The Brazilian national team dedicated the title to the deceased Brazilian Formula One champion Ayrton Senna, who had died two and a half months prior. The third-place playoff was set between Bulgaria and Sweden, the team which scored more goals than any other in this World Cup. Sweden won convincingly with a 4–0 victory. One of Sweden's players — Thomas Brolin — was named to the All-star team. The tournament's Golden Boot went jointly to Bulgaria's Stoichkov and Oleg Salenko of Russia , who scored a record five goals in their match against Cameroon . Both players scored six goals in the tournament. Brazil's Romário , with five goals, won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

Mascot The official mascot of this World Cup was Striker, a dog wearing a red, white and blue soccer uniform with a soccer ball. Striker was designed by the Warner Bros. animation team. Venues The games were held in nine cities across the country. All stadiums had a capacity of at least 53,000, and their usual tenants were National Football League or NCAA Football teams. The most used venue was the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, with eight games, among them the final, the third place match, a semifinal and a game of the Round of 16, followed by the Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, which had one semifinal, a quarterfinal and a round of 16 match. The least used was the Pontiac Silverdome , the first indoor stadium used in a World Cup, with four Round 1 matches. Referees Further information: 1994 FIFA World Cup squads Teams were selected as usual following FIFA rules with 22 players. Greece, Italy, Saudi Arabia and Spain were the only countries who had all their players coming from domestic teams, while the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria had no players from domestic teams.

Saudi Arabia were the only team with no players from European teams. Seeding The composition of the four pots was based on the FIFA World Ranking (established in 1993) and on the qualified teams' results in the three previous World Cups. Pot 1 (Top 5 plus Hosts) Pot 2 (Europe 1–6) Pot 3 (Europe 7–10 + Asia) Pot 4 (Africa + Americas) Mexico Opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the World Cup was held on 17 June at Chicago's Soldier Field. Numerous dignitaries attended, including United States President Bill Clinton, Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl and President of Bolivia Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada. The ceremony was emceed by Oprah Winfrey. In addition, Daryl Hall, Jon Secada and Diana Ross gave musical performances. Ross was also supposed to kick a football into the goal from the penalty spot at the end of her performance, with the goal then splitting in two as part of a pre-orchestrated stunt. She kicked the ball wide to the left, missing the goal, but the goalposts were collapsed anyway in accordance with the stunt plans.

Results All times local (EDT/UTC-4, CDT/UTC-5, PDT/UTC-7) Key to colours in group tables Group winners, runners-up, and best four third-placed teams advance to the Round of 16 Group A Main article: 1994 FIFA World Cup Group A Group A will be remembered for two historic moments in international football. First was that the match between the United States and Switzerland would be the first ever to take place indoors, having been played under the roof at the Pontiac Silverdome. The second was the murder of Colombian defender Andrés Escobar - shot dead on his return to Colombia, after his own goal had contributed to his country's elimination from the tournament. 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 let the Swiss move past the Americans into second place on goal difference, although the hosts qualified for the second round as one of the best third-placed teams.

Team Main article: 1994 FIFA World Cup Group B Group B produced two of the four semi-finalists of this World Cup, and was also one of the two groups in which two, rather than three, sides would progress to the second round. Brazil and Sweden proved to be far stronger than Cameroon and Russia in every department. The match between the latter two broke two World Cup records. Oleg Salenko of Russia became the first - and remains the only - man ever to score five goals in a single World Cup match as Russia ran out 6–1 winners against their African opponents. 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 match. The result was not enough to take Russia through following heavy defeats at the hands of both Brazil and Sweden. Brazil overcame Cameroon with similar ease before a draw with Sweden confirmed top spot. The Swedes also progressed, finishing in second place with five points.

Team Main article: 1994 FIFA World Cup Group C Holders Germany, and Spain progressed to round two. Coming from two goals down with four minutes left to snatch a 2–2 draw against Spain, the 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 were held to a 0–0 draw against Bolivia in their other group match when a win would have seen them through. Instead, only two teams progressed; Spain's late implosion against the 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 match, finished with seven points. Spain had to settle for second place despite leading in all three matches. Team Main article: 1994 FIFA World Cup Group D Argentina collected a maximum of six points from their opening two matches after beating Greece 4–0 in Foxboro before coming from behind to overcome the feisty Nigerians 2–1 on the same field four days later, yet still only finished third.

The match against Greece had been won in style thanks mainly to a hat-trick from Gabriel Batistuta , yet it was the other goal in the match - from Diego Maradona - that hit the headlines. Nigeria had been very impressive on their World Cup debut, and despite the narrow loss to Argentina, had emerged as group winners following comfortable victories against Bulgaria and Greece. The Bulgarians also surprised many. Having never won a single match at the World Cup finals prior to this tournament, their fortunes seemed unlikely to change in the aftermath of the 3–0 defeat by Nigeria in their first game. However a 4–0 demolition of the Greeks (who had suffered exactly the same fate five days earlier against Argentina) and a win against Argentina had seen them advance in style. Argentina had actually been winning the group going into injury-time; however, a 91st-minute strike from Nasko Sirakov meant that they dropped two places and finished 3rd. Team Main article: 1994 FIFA World Cup Group E Group E remains the only group in World Cup history in which all four teams finished with the same points.

It began when Ray Houghton 's chip ensured that Ireland would gain revenge on Italy by reversing a 1–0 scoreline the Italians had beaten them by in the quarter-finals of the previous World Cup. The next day in Washington, Kjetil Rekdal's goal five minutes from time proved decisive in an equally tense encounter as Norway beat Mexico. Mexico however was much more comfortable playing in Orlando, the setting for their next match against Ireland, where the heat proved to be a key factor. Garcia's double had them 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 striker John Aldridge . Fortunately for Ireland, Aldridge was able to re-gain concentration in time to score six minutes from the end of the game. Though Ireland still lost the match 2–1, Aldridge's goal proved crucial in the final group standings. The previous day 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 were 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 matches 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, whilst midfielders Massaro and Bernal traded strikes as Italy were held 1–1 by Mexico. That result meant that Mexico won the group on goals scored with Ireland and Italy also progressing having finished with identical records (Ireland finishing second on account of the fact that they had beaten Italy when the teams played one another). Norway's shortcomings in attack had ultimately let them down. Team Main article: 1994 FIFA World Cup Group F Morocco lost each of their matches only by a single goal. Belgium's campaign went the same way as Argentina's; finishing third despite winning their first two matches. After 1–0 victories against Morocco and the Netherlands, Belgium were ultimately beaten after Saudi player Saaed Al-Owairian ran from his own half through a maze of Belgian players to score the game's only goal. Both teams went through.

For the much-fancied Dutch however, progression to the second round was a somewhat nervier experience. The opening 2–1 victory against Saudi Arabia was followed by defeat against the Belgians before another 2–1 victory - this time at the expense of Morocco - eventually saw them win the group. Winger Bryan Roy scored the winner a mere twelve minutes from time. Team Andrés Escobar (for the United States) Firsts The United States – Switzerland match on 18 June at the Pontiac Silverdome was the first to be played indoors in World Cup history: grass was grown by Michigan State University and was the first time since 1965 (the failed attempt at Astrodome ) that natural turf was used in an indoor stadium in the United States. To date, only Sapporo Dome in 2002 and Veltins Arena in 2006 later followed to host indoors game in World Cup history. Oleg Salenko of Russia became the first player to score 5 goals in a single World Cup finals game in his country's group stage win over Cameroon . Cameroon's Roger Milla also scored a goal in the same match, 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 match. Gianluca Pagliuca of Italy became the first goalkeeper to be sent off in a World Cup Finals match, dismissed for handling outside his area against Norway . Brazil's 11 goals in their seven games was a record for the lowest average goals scored per game for any World Cup-winning side, but this was bettered 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, foregoing the traditional black. They could choose between burgundy, yellow or white shirts depending on what was feasible 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 of the shirt, as well as their names printed in the back of their jerseys in a World Cup, just like other American sports did, to make their identification easier for sportscasters. This custom followed from Euro 92 , and has followed ever since. The finals were the first to award 3 points for a win in the group stage to motivate teams to play an attacking style. In disciplinary matters, for the first time yellow cards accumulated in the group stage were wiped clean after its completion, and players start with a clean slate at the start of the knockout stage. Previously, players were suspended for one match if accumulating two yellow cards throughout the tournament. Now, players were suspended for one match if 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 as Claudio Caniggia and Paul Gascoigne were suspended for the later matches. The 1994 World Cup revolutionized television coverage of sports in the United States through the sponsored scoreboard and game clock that were constantly shown on screen throughout the game.

Television sports coverage in the US had long been dependent upon commercial breaks; a feature suitable for sports such as baseball, basketball, ice hockey and American football (which all have breaks in the action), but long considered incompatible with soccer, due to the long stretches of uninterrupted play. Variations on it were quickly incorporated into virtually every team sports broadcast by the decade's end. The first American pro sports broadcaster to do this was Fox Sports which won national rights to broadcast the NFL's National Football Conference from CBS 6½ months before the 1994 World Cup began. The 1994 FIFA World Cup final was the first to be decided by a penalty shoot-out with no goals being scored either in regular time or in extra time. Lasts This was the last World Cup in which matches other than the last two in each group were played simultaneously, although this only happened once in this tournament; Saudi Arabia v Morocco and Belgium v Netherlands in Group F. From France '98 onwards, 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 where the 3rd-placed team in each group was still able to progress via Third Place qualifiers for round of 16. External links USA, 1994: World Cup Football Host Home > Events > Football > Football World Cup > Hosts > USA 94 USA, 1994 The FAFA World Cup was hosted by the USA in 1994, and was a huge success despite Football (soccer) being a minor sport in that country. In the Final, Brazil beat Italy 3-2 in the penalty shoot out, after the score was 0-0 after extra time. Qualifiers After playing with Spain in a qualifying match in 1993, the Albanian coach asked his players not to swap shirts, as they had no money to make new shirts, and wanted to save the shirts for the next match. The financially beleaguered Albanian team had to go to the stadium at their own expense, and they even did not have a full complement of shirts before the match. Did you know that Chile was not allowed to participate in the 1994 qualifying competition?

It all came about because a Chilean goalkeeper faked his injury in a qualifying match. In a decisive qualifier in Brazil on 3 September 1989, Brazil were leading 1-0 with 23 minutes left. In an attempt to disqualify the match, the Chilean goalkeeper Roberto Rojas pretended to have been hit and seriously hurt by the firecrackers thrown from the Brazilian crowd. The whole Chilean team walked off in protest, and the match was abandoned. FIFA later discovered the hoax from TV and awarded Brazil a 2-0 victory, banned Rojas for life and banned Chile from the 1994 World Cup. Tournament In USA 94, Belgium goalkeeper Michael Preud'homme abandoned his good luck ritual of wearing a Standard Leige shirt (his first club) under his national jersey because of the heat. Italian Striker Gianfranco Zola was sent off on 28th birthday, when he played in a 1994 finals match. He was sent off in the 76th minute in a Second Round match against Nigeria on 5 July 1994. Italy won the match 2-1 and went on to reach the Final.

German midfielder Stefan Effenberg sent home early by coach Berti Vogts in USA 1994 after he gave the finger to a fan during a finals match. Stefan Effenberg was sent home immediately after the incident, and has refused to rejoin the national squad since. Colombian player Andreas Escobar was killed by a soccer fan soon after he returned home from USA 94. Colombia were one of the favorites, and their early exit shocked the Colombian people. Escobar scored a clear own goal in their loss to USA in a crucial First Round game on 22/6/94. Two weeks later, he was shot dead by an angry fan in his home town. The killer Humberto Munoz was sentenced to jail for 43 years, but was released on 6 October 2005 after serving just 11 years. World Cup Firsts 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - Host Country - FIFA.com Russia will offer international visitors the most dynamic possible experience of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™. Spectators, athletes and officials will enjoy a rich and varied experience amid the unique geography and diverse cultures of the host cities.

Largest country in the world Longest national border in the world 18 neighbouring countries Geography Russia is vast. Russia is endless. Russia is timeless and eternal. Yet Russia can still surprise. Bounded by 12 seas of the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans, the country’s 17.1 million km² include one-eighth of the earth’s inhabited surface area. Russia is a country of incomparable beauty, variety and extremes, encompassing the snow-capped peaks of the Ural and Caucasus mountains, the seemingly infinite Siberian forests, the broad rivers stretching across the continent and the deserts and grasslands of its central steppe. Russia is the land of Lake Baikal - the deepest and purest on earth - and of the Volga, the longest river in Europe. No other country extends across nine of the earth’s twenty-four standard time zones; as Russians in Vladivostok sit down to enjoy their evening family meals, their countrymen in Kaliningrad are rising to greet the sun’s morning rays. Population Russia’s people are as astoundingly diverse as their country.

Across this immense land live 143 million people representing more than 140 nationalities and ethnic groups who speak over 100 languages and embody a wide range of beliefs, customs and historical legacies. Around 80 per cent of Russia’s population resides in the European area of the country. In terms of population, Russia is the ninth largest nation in the world. Russia’s contribution to the world’s culture, arts and sciences is immense. Russia is home to more than 20 Nobel Prize winners, including the 20th century poets Boris Pasternak and Joseph Brodsky, scientist and human rights activist Andrei Sakharov and the first President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev. Russia enjoys a strong tradition in music, literature and arts. Key figures include: composers Peter Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rakhmaninov and Dmitry Shostakovich; writers Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Anton Chekhov. The Bolshoi in Moscow and Mariinsky theatre in St Petersburg are recognised opera and ballet brands. Resources The dark, rich soil of Russia yields as many gifts as does the genius of its people.

It is a nation richly blessed with energy and mineral resources as well as countless natural and historical wonders. The country contains 23 UNESCO World Heritage sites, 40 UNESCO Biosphere reserves, 40 national parks and 101 nature reserves. Its natural resource base includes major supplies of timber, petroleum, natural gas, coal, ores and other mineral resources. Sport Russians are both dedicated to and fascinated by sports. The country has succeeded in a wide variety of sports, consistently performing among the best nations at international competitions. Football, however, is the most popular sport in modern Russia. Football is universally loved and enthusiastically played year-round by the Russian people. The quality of Russian football is on the rise, as is the performance of the Russian national and club teams. Clubs such as CSKA Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg (2005 and 2008 UEFA Cup winners respectively), Lokomotiv Moscow, Spartak Moscow and Rubin Kazan — with their remarkable achievements in the UEFA Champions League — rose to prominence through their success at continental level, while Russia’s national team reached the semi-finals at UEFA EURO 2008.

Related Items World Cup Football Host Nations Uruguay The World Cup championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930 (except in 1942 and 1946 due to World War II). Brazil and Germany had bid for the 1942 World Cup; however no vote was taken to determine a host. Columbia was selected as host for the 1986 tournament, but withdrew four years before the start date. Mexico eventually hosted the event. In 2002, for the first and possibly the last time the event was hosted by two countries, Japan and South Korea. The winning hosts for 2018 and 2022 were announced on 2 December 2010, with the winners Russia and Qatar. For some, China is considered the favorite for the 2026 World Cup, then the event would possibly return to Europe in 2030 before perhaps going to the US or South America and then Africa, then to the Asian region in 2042. The table here lists the host country for each tournament. Click on the country names for more information about each Football World Cup host.

Related Pages details about the FIFA process for selection of host cities follow Topend Sports

Question: Which country hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup?
Answer: USA