The 1994 FIFA World Cup took place in the United States from 17 June to 17 July 1994. 24 teams from 5 confederations participated in the final tournament: 13 from Europe (UEFA), 4 from South America (CONMEBOL), 2 from North America, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF), 3 from Africa (CAF), and 2 from Asia (AFC). Three teams made their first World Cup presentation (Greece, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia). Russia competed independently for the first time in the World Cups' history. The reigning champion Germany participated in a unified manner for the first time since the 1938 FIFA World Cup.
This World Cup was the first in which three points were awarded for a win. The defensive play shown in Italy encouraged FIFA to make this change to strengthen the offensive game. They had to change in somehow the mentality of "fear of losing". The system was first introduced in England in 1981; therefore, there was not a new experiment. This was a very successful World Cup which broke all record crowds (more than 1,300,000 tickets sold that in the previous world cup), and ended with Brazil celebrating their first world cup title since 1970. The 1994 FIFA World Cup saw also the end of Diego Maradona's World Cup career. Maradona was abruptly removed from world cup play after he failed a drug test which uncovered ephedrine, a weight loss drug, in his blood. Argentina was displaying a spectacular offensive football, when Maradona was surprised by the test. Since then, Argentina's performance declined significantly and was eliminated rapidly from the tournament.
The first round had some facts worth noting. In Group A, Romania, Switzerland, and United States advanced to the knock out stage. Romania finished on top of this group led by their gifted Gheorghe Hagi. There were two historical events in this group that should not be overlooked. The first was the game between USA and Switzerland that for the first time in the FIFA World Cup's history was played indoors, at the Pontiac Silverdome Stadium in Detroit. The second one was the murder of Colombian defender Andrés Escobar, who was shot and killed in Medellín on his return home. It is widely believed that he was murdered due to his own goal in the 1994 FIFA World Cup against United States, which supposedly would have caused gambling losses to several powerful drug lords. Brazil topped Group B ahead of Sweden, both semi-finalists of this World Cup. A remarkable note in this group was the Russian Oleg Salenko, who became the first player ever to score 5 goals in a World Cup. Russia finished defeating Cameroon 6-1 with Salenko's 5 goals. Cameroon's goal was no less important as was scored by Roger Milla, who broke his own record as the FIFA World Cup's oldest scorer – at 42 years. Germany and Spain progressed smoothly in the group C. After a Hollywood-style opening ceremony with Diana Ross failing miserably a penalty, the first match of the tournament was played at Soldier Field Stadium in Chicago: Germany beat Bolivia in rather unconvincing fashion. Group D produced one of epic moments in the World Cup's history. Diego Maradona, one of the greatest football players of all time, was abruptly removed from World Cup play after testing positive for ephedrine. Argentina had won the first two games playing very well, thanks to their stars as Gabriel Batistuta, Claudio Caniggia, Fernando Redondo, and Diego Maradona. Diego, with much more experience and with few pounds off, was showing his dominance in the field. In the third game, very touched by what happened to Maradona, Argentina played poorly and lost 2-0 against Bulgaria. Nigeria, Bulgaria and Argentina finished with the same points (6) and advanced to the next stage in that order on goal difference. The newcomer Greece lost all of its three games and was outscored for a bulky 10-0. Group E remains the only group in World Cup history in which all four teams finished with the same points (4). Mexico, Republic of Ireland, and Italy progressed to round of 16. The Group started with the Republic of Ireland's victory over Italy that finally escaped to the round of 16 as one of the best third-places teams. Norway had to go home. Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Belgium advanced in Group F. All three teams finished level on points (6). Belgium's campaign went the same way as Argentina's; finishing third despite winning their first two matches. Saudi Arabia not only survived the group stage, but also Saeed Al- Owairan scored one of the tournament's finest goal against Belgium.
The round of 16 brought few shocks. Germany defeated Belgium 3-2, Spain beat Switzerland 3-0, and Sweden defeated the debutant Saudi Arabia 3-1. In one of the surprises of this stage, the crestfallen Argentina was overcome by Romania 3-2. Despite of excellent football players as Batistuta, Caniggia, Redondo and Simeone, Argentina could not recover from Maradona's suspension. The Dutch defeated the Republic of Ireland 2-0. Brazil could not figure out United States in Stanford, but in the second half with a man down (Leonardo was sent-off) Brazil went on to win 1-0 thanks to a solitary goal of Bebeto. Mexico’s match with Bulgaria ended tied 1-1 after extra time, and then the Bulgarian side won 3–1 in a penalty shootout. In the last match of the round of 16, Italy was fortunate enough to beat Nigeria 2-1 after extra time. Nigeria were 90 seconds away from overcoming Italy (with a man down, given that Zola was sent-off in the 76th minute), when Roberto Baggio known as Il Divin Codino (The Divine Ponytail) scored the equalizer sending the game into extra time. Baggio was undoubtedly the hero on the field as he converted an extra-time penalty winner that sent the Italians to the quarter-finals.
In the quarter-finals, Brazil was fortunate enough to beat the Netherlands 3-2 in an exciting and one of the best matches of the tournament. Italy suffered more than necessary but ended up defeating Spain 2-1, thanks to a goal in the 87th minute from Roberto Baggio, one of the finest football player of all time. Bulgaria, the biggest surprise of the tournament and leaded by talented Barcelona striker Hristo Stoichkov, ended the hopes of Germany beating them 2-1. Matthäus opened the scoring for reigning champion Germany, but Stoichkov and Letchkov defined the match in less than three minutes apart. The Bulgarians had never won a FIFA World Cup match in 16 previous attempts and five World Cup finals, but now they were en route to the semi-finals. Sweden faced Romania in Stanford. The game ended tied 1-1 after regular time. The match went to extra time and one more goal was scored for each team. Sweden won 5-4 on penalties.
The first semi-final faced Italy, against the surprise of the tournament, Bulgaria. Baggio and Stoichkov against each other. Italy, showing that they wanted to be champions, defeated Bulgaria 2-1. Baggio (2) – Stoichkov (1). The other semi-final was contested by Brazil and Sweden in Los Angeles. Brazil advanced to the final beating Sweden 1-0, thanks to a goal in the 80th minute from Romário. Sweden had the consolation prize after beating in the third-place match to Bulgaria 4-0. Sweden was the team with most goals scored in this World Cup.
The 1994 FIFA World Cup Final was contested at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, before a crowd of 94,000 followers, for Brazil led by Romário and Bebeto, and Italy, led by Roberto Baggio. Two teams who had already collected three world cup titles each. The final itself was a disappointment. The match remained goalless after 120 minutes, and then Brazil won 3–2 in a penalty shootout. Brazil became the first nation to win four World Cup titles. It was also the first ever World Cup final to be decided by a penalty shoot-out. The Brazilian team dedicated their victory to the late triple Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna, one of the greatest F1 drivers to have raced, who had died in a crash at Tamburello corner while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix two and a half months previously.
The top scorers (Golden Shoe) of the tournament were Oleg Salenko of Russia and Hristo Stoichkov of Bulgaria, who would go on to score six goals. Romário of Brazil had the honor of being elected the best player (Golden Ball) of the tournament. Marc Overmars of Netherlands was elected Best Young Player. Michel Preud’Homme of Belgium was elected best goalkeeper (Yashin Award). Brazil, on the other hand, received the FIFA Fair PlayAward and the FIFA Award for the Most Entertaining Team.
The names that people probably remember from those times are: Berti Vogts (German coach), Henri Mitchell (Cameroon coach), Carlos Alberto Parreira (Brazilian coach), Javier Clemente (Spanish coach), Arrigo Sacchi (Italian coach), Bora Milutinović (American coach), Thomas Nkono (Cameroon goalkeeper), Edwin Van der Sar (Dutch goalkeeper), Taffarel (Brazilian goalkeeper), Bodo Illgner (German goalkeeper), Thomas Ravelli (Swedish goalkeeper), Jorge Campos (Mexican goalkeeper), Tony Meola (American goalkeeper), Andoni Zubizarreta (Spanish goalkeeper), Michel Preud’Homme (Belgian goalkeeper and Yashin Award), Sergio Goycochea (Argentine goalkeeper), Gianluca Pagliuca (Italian goalkeeper), Andreas Brehme (German defender), Ronald Koeman (Dutch defender), Frank de Boer (Dutch defender), Fernando Hierro (Spanish defender), Andrés Escobar (Colombian defender), Oscar Ruggeri (Argentine defender), Cafu (Brazilian defender), Jorginho (Brazilian defender), Márcio Santos (Brazilian defender), Paolo Maldini (Italian defender), Franco Baresi (Italian defender), Enzo Scifo (Belgian midfielder), Gheorghe Hagi (Romanian midfielder), Ray Houghton (Irish midfielder), Tab Ramos (American midfielder), Josep Guardiola (Spanish midfielder), Luis Enrique (Spanish midfielder), Lothar Matthäus (German midfielder), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigerian midfielder), Demetrio Albertini (Italian midfielder), Roy Keane (Irish midfielder), Marco Etcheverry (Bolivian midfielder), Frank Rijkaard (Dutch midfielder), Krassimir Balakov (Bulgarian midfielder), Claudio Reyna (American midfielder), Carlos Valderrama (Colombian midfielder), Freddy Rincón (Colombian midfielder), Diego Maradona (Argentine midfielder), Fernando Redondo (Argentine midfielder), Diego Simeone (Argentine midfielder), Dunga (Brazilian midfielder), Leonardo (Brazilian striker), Roberto Baggio (Italian striker), Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgarian striker and Golden Shoe), Oleg Salenko (Russian striker and Golden Shoe), Claudio Caniggia (Argentine striker), Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina striker), Toni Cascarino (Irish striker), Finidi George (Nigerian striker), Roger Milla (Cameroon striker), François Omam-Biyik (Cameroon striker), Marc Overmars (Dutch striker and Best Young Player), Dennis Bergkamp (Dutch striker), Jostein Flo (Norwegian striker), Hugo Sánchez (Mexican striker), Jürgen Klinsmann (German striker), Rudi Völler (German striker), Julio Salinas (Spanish midfielder), Thomas Brolin (Swedish striker), Martin Dahlin (Swedish striker), Ilie Dumitrescu (Romanian striker), Florin Răducioiu (Romanian striker), Stéphane Chapuisat (Swiss striker), Adolfo Valencia (Colombian striker), Faustino Asprilla (Colombian striker), Saeed Al-Owairan (Saudi striker), Paul Caliguri (American striker), Eric Wynalda (American striker), Bebeto (Brazilian striker), Ronaldo (Brazilian striker), and Romário (Brazilian striker and Golden Ball).
The United States was chosen to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, at the FIFA Congress in Zürich, Switzerland, on July 4, 1988. Morocco and Brazil had also submitted the bid to host the tournament, but the United States was chosen ahead of the other two rivals. The United States had 10 votes in the first round of voting, Morocco 7 votes, and Brazil 2 votes. Thus, the United States was chosen to organize the World Cup for the first time.
FIFA's decision to hold the event in the United States evidently surprised many, primarily by the widespread perception that soccer was a sport that did not care to Americans. Basketball, baseball, hockey, and American football were much more important. The FIFA committee, however, favored the United States to organize the World Cup arguing this would lead to a growth of interest in the sport. They were also bidding to conquer soccer’s final frontier in the biggest and most demanding sports market in the entire world. Additionally, the FIFA committee imposed one condition: the creation of a professional football league, the Major League Soccer (MLS) that started play in 1996.
Qualification
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Participating countries:
147
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Withdrew:
17
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Qualified automatically:
2
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Teams that played at least one qualifying match:
128
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Matches:
497
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Total goals:
1,446 (2.91 per match)
A total of 147 teams signed up to participate in the 1994 World Cup qualification rounds. These were the biggest World Cup qualifiers in 60 years. The United States, as the hosts, and Germany, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 22 spots open for competition. The reigning champion Germany will participate in the finals in a unified manner for the first time since the 1938 FIFA World Cup.
England, France, and Uruguay failed to qualify for the final tournament. Yugoslavia, on the other hand, was suspended from all international competition as part of United Nations sanctions imposed to the country in 1992 as a result of the Yugoslav Wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia from 1991 to 1995, and then again from 1998 until 2001. Czechoslovakia, dissolved in 1992, competed under the name Representation of Czechs and Slovaks but failed to qualify. Russia competed independently for the first time in the World Cups' history. Chile banned by FIFA does not participate in CONMEBOL qualifiers. The 22 available spots were distributed in continental zones as shown below:
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Europe (UEFA): 13 spots. 38 teams (including Israel) competed for 12 direct places. Germany, as the defending champion, qualified automatically. Liechtenstein withdrew. Yugoslavia suspended by FIFA.
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South America (CONMEBOL): 3.5 spots. 9 teams competed for 3 direct places. The winner of the 0.5 spot would progress to the international playoff against a team from CONACAF or OFC. Chile banned by FIFA does not participate in CONMEBOL qualifiers.
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North America, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF): 2.25 spots. 22 teams competed for 1.25 direct places. United States, as hosts, qualified automatically. The winner of the 0.25 spot would progress to the international playoff against a team from OFC. Cuba withdrew.
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Africa (CAF): 3 spots. 40 teams competed for 3 direct places. Uganda, Libya, Sudan, Mauritania, Mali, Gambia, Sierra Leone (Togo took over fixtures), São Tomé and Príncipe (South Africa took over fixtures), Malawi (Benin took over fixtures), Burkina Faso (Namibia took over fixtures) all withdrew. Liberia withdrew after two games due to UN sanctions. Their matches annulled. Tanzania withdrew after three games. Their matches annulled.
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Asia (AFC): 2 spots. 29 teams competed for 2 direct places. Myanmar withdrew.
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Oceania (OFC): 0.25 spot. 7 teams competed for 0.25 spot. The winner of the 0.25 spot would progress to the international playoff against a team from CONCACAF. Western Samoa withdrew.
Canada, from CONCACAF, and Australia, from OFC, advanced to the CONCACAF/OFC Intercontinental Playoff. In the first game, Canada defeated Australia 2-1 in Edmonton, Canada, on 31 July 1993. In the second game, Australia defeated Canada 2-1 after extra time in Sydney, Australia, on 15 August 1993. The aggregate score was tied at 3-3 and Australia won 4-1 on penalties. Australia therefore advanced to the CONMEBOL/OFC Intercontinental Playoff.
In the first game of the Intercontinental Playoff, Australia drew with Argentina 1-1 in Sydney, on 31 October 1993. In the second game, Argentina defeated Australia 1-0 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 November 1993. Argentina qualified by the aggregate score of 2–1.
It is worth noting that the entire team of Zambia was killed in a plane crash. On 27 April 1993, a Zambian Air Force Buffalo DHC-5D which was carrying the team to Senegal for a 1994 World Cup qualification match crashed ditched into the Atlantic Ocean about 500 metres offshore from Libreville, Gabon, killing all 30 passengers, including 18 players and a number of coaches. Kalusha Bwalya was the only survivor, due to being in the Netherlands rather than on the flight.
The Golden Boot or Golden Shoe Award is granted to the top goalscorer of the FIFA World Cup. The first time an award was given was in 1982, under the name Golden Shoe.
Eight coaches from the Soviet Union participated until the 1990 World Cup, managing 7 times to the Soviet Union National Football Team and once to Cameroon National Football Team. Six coaches were from Russia and 2 from Ukraine. For the statistical purpose, we will consider six from Russia and two from Ukraine since the 1994 World Cup.
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Fourtheen coaches from Germany participated until the 1990 World Cup: 2 from Germany (1934-1938), 11 from West Germany (1950-1990) and 1 from East Germany (1974). For the statistical purpose, we will consider all of them from Germany since the 1994 World Cup.
Attendance
The total attendance at the World Cup as well as both the total and average attendance for each of the national teams is shown in the table below.
