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1994 FIFA World Cup
World Cup '94
1994 FIFA World Cup logo.
1994 FIFA World Cup official logo
Tournament details
Host countryFlag of the United States United States
DatesJune 17–July 17, 1994
Teams24 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s)(in 9 host cities)
Final positions
ChampionsBrazil Brazil (4th title)
Runner-upFlag of Italy Italy
Third placeFlag of Sweden Good one Sweden
Fourth placeFlag of Bulgaria Bulgaria
Tournament statistics
Matches played52
Goals scored141 (2.71 per match)
Attendance3,587,538 (68,991 per match)
Top scorer(s)Flag of Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov
Flag of Russia Oleg Salenko
(6 goals)
Best playerFlag of Brazil Romário
1990
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.

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 United States Vice-President Albert 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

Africa
  • Flag of Mauritius Lim Kee Chong
  • Flag of Tunisia Neji Jouini
Asia
  • Flag of Syria Jamal Al Sharif
  • Flag of United Arab Emirates Ali Bujsaim
Europe
  • Flag of Italy Fabio Baldas
  • Flag of Spain Manuel Díaz Vega
  • Flag of England Philip Don
  • Flag of Sweden Bo Karlsson
  • Flag of Germany Hellmut Krug
  • Flag of Scotland Leslie Mottram
  • Flag of Denmark Peter Mikkelsen
  • Flag of Italy Pierluigi Pairetto
  • Flag of Hungary Sándor Puhl
  • Flag of France Joël Quiniou
  • Flag of Switzerland Kurt Röthlisberger
  • Flag of Netherlands Mario van der Ende
North and Central America
  • Flag of United States Arturo Angeles
  • Flag of Costa Rica Rodrigo Badilla
  • Flag of Mexico Arturo Brizio Carter
South America
  • Flag of Colombia José Torres Cadena
  • Flag of Uruguay Ernesto Filippi
  • Flag of Argentina Francisco Lamolina
  • Flag of Brazil Renato Marsiglia
  • Flag of Peru Alberto Tejada

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)

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

Group stage

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 Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Romania Romania 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 6
Switzerland Switzerland 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 4
Flag of the United States United States 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
Flag of Colombia Colombia 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
18 June 1994
11:30 EDT
United States Flag of the United States 1 – 1 Switzerland Switzerland Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac
Attendance: 73,425
Referee: Francisco Oscar Lamolina (Argentina)
Wynalda Goal 45' Report Bregy Goal 39'

18 June 1994
16:30 PDT
Colombia Flag of Colombia 1 – 3 Romania Romania Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 93,586
Referee: Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)
Valencia Goal 43' Report Răducioiu Goal 16'89'
Hagi Goal 34'

22 June 1994
16:00 EDT
Romania Romania 1 – 4 Switzerland Switzerland Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac
Attendance: 61,428
Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)
Hagi Goal 36' Report Sutter Goal 16'
Chapuisat Goal 53'
Knup Goal 66'72'

22 June 1994
16:30 PDT
United States Flag of the United States 2 – 1 Flag of Colombia Colombia Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 93,869
Referee: Fabio Baldas (Italy)
Escobar Goal 34' (o.g.)
Stewart Goal 52'
Report Valencia Goal 90'

26 June 1994
13:00 PDT
Switzerland Switzerland 0 – 2 Flag of Colombia Colombia Stanford Stadium, Stanford
Attendance: 83,401
Referee: Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)
Report Gaviria Goal 44'
Lozano Goal 89'

26 June 1994
13:00 PDT
United States Flag of the United States 0 – 1 Romania Romania Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 93,869
Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)
Report Petrescu Goal 17'

Group B

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 Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Brazil Brazil 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 7
Flag of Sweden Good one Sweden 3 1 2 0 6 4 +2 5
Flag of Russia Good One Russia 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1 3
Flag of Cameroon Cameroon 3 0 1 2 3 11 −8 1
19 June 1994
16:30 PDT
Cameroon Flag of Cameroon 2 – 2 Flag of Sweden Good one Sweden Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 93,194
Referee: Alberto Tejada Noriega (Peru)
Embé Goal 31'
Omam-Biyik Goal 47'
Report Ljung Goal 8'
Dahlin Goal 75'

20 June 1994
13:00 PDT
Brazil Brazil 2 – 0 Flag of Russia Good One Russia Stanford Stadium, Stanford
Attendance: 81,061
Referee: Lim Kee Chong (Mauritius)
Romário Goal 26'
Raí Goal 52' (pen.)
Report

24 June 1994
13:00 PDT
Brazil Brazil 3 – 0 Flag of Cameroon Cameroon Stanford Stadium, Stanford
Attendance: 83,401
Referee: Arturo Brizio Carter (Mexico)
Romário Goal 39'
Márcio Santos Goal 66'
Bebeto Goal 73'
Report

24 June 1994
19:30 EDT
Sweden Flag of Sweden Good one 3 – 1 Flag of Russia Good One Russia Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac
Attendance: 71,528
Referee: Joël Quiniou (France)
Brolin Goal 37' (pen.)
Dahlin Goal 59'81'
Report Salenko Goal 4' (pen.)

28 June 1994
13:00 PDT
Russia Flag of Russia Good One 6 – 1 Flag of Cameroon Cameroon Stanford Stadium, Stanford
Attendance: 74,914
Referee: Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)
Salenko Goal 15'41'44' (pen.)72'75'
Radchenko Goal 81'
Report Milla Goal 46'

28 June 1994
16:00 EDT
Brazil Brazil 1 – 1 Flag of Sweden Good one Sweden Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac
Attendance: 77,217
Referee: Sándor Puhl (Hungary)
Romário Goal 46' Report K. Andersson Goal 23'

Group C

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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Germany Germany 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 7
Flag of Spain Spain 3 1 2 0 6 4 +2 5
South Korea South Korea 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2
Flag of Bolivia Bolivia 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1
17 June 1994
14:00 CDT
Germany Germany 1 – 0 Flag of Bolivia Bolivia Soldier Field, Chicago
Attendance: 63,117
Referee: Arturo Brizio Carter (Mexico)
Klinsmann Goal 61' Report

17 June 1994
18:30 CDT
Spain Flag of Spain 2 – 2 South Korea South Korea Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Attendance: 56,247
Referee: Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)
Salinas Goal 51'
Goikoetxea Goal 55'
Report Hong Myung-Bo Goal 85'
Seo Jung-Won Goal 90'

21 June 1994
15:00 CDT
Germany Germany 1 – 1 Flag of Spain Spain Soldier Field, Chicago
Attendance: 63,113
Referee: Filippi Cavani (Uruguay)
Klinsmann Goal 48' Report Goikoetxea Goal 14'

23 June 1994
19:30 EDT
South Korea South Korea 0 – 0 Flag of Bolivia Bolivia Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 54,453
Referee: Leslie Mottram (Scotland)
Report

27 June 1994
15:00 CDT
Bolivia Flag of Bolivia 1 – 3 Flag of Spain Spain Soldier Field, Chicago
Attendance: 63,089
Referee: Rodrigo Badilla (Costa Rica)
E. Sánchez Goal 67' Report Guardiola Goal 19' (pen.)
Caminero Goal 66'70'

27 June 1994
15:00 CDT
Germany Germany 3 – 2 South Korea South Korea Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Attendance: 63,998
Referee: Joël Quiniou (France)
Klinsmann Goal 12'37'
Riedle Goal 20'
Report Hwang Sun-Hong Goal 52'
Hong Myung-Bo Goal 63'

Group D

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 Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Flag of Nigeria 001 Nigeria 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6
Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
Flag of Argentina Argentina 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
Flag of Greece.svg Greece 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0
21 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Argentina Flag of Argentina 4 – 0 Flag of Greece.svg Greece Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 54,456
Referee: Arturo Angeles (United States)
Batistuta Goal 2'45'89' (pen.)
Maradona Goal 60'
Report

21 June 1994
18:30 CDT
Nigeria Flag of Nigeria 001 3 – 0 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Attendance: 44,132
Referee: Rodrigo Badilla (Costa Rica)
Yekini Goal 21'
Amokachi Goal 43'
Amuneke Goal 55'
Report

25 June 1994
16:00 EDT
Argentina Flag of Argentina 2 – 1 Flag of Nigeria 001 Nigeria Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 54,453
Referee: Bo Karlsson (Sweden)
Caniggia Goal 21'28' Report Siasia Goal 8'

26 June 1994
11:30 CDT
Greece Flag of Greece.svg 0 – 4 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria Soldier Field, Chicago
Attendance: 63,160
Referee: Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates)
Report Stoichkov Goal 5' (pen.)55' (pen.)
Letchkov Goal 65'
Borimirov Goal 90'

30 June 1994
18:30 CDT
Argentina Flag of Argentina 0 – 2 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Attendance: 63,998
Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)
Report Stoichkov Goal 61'
Sirakov Goal 90'

30 June 1994
19:30 EDT
Greece Flag of Greece.svg 0 – 2 Flag of Nigeria 001 Nigeria Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 53,001
Referee: Leslie Mottram (Scotland)
Report George Goal 45'
Amokachi Goal 90'

Group E

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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of Mexico Mexico 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
Flag of Republic Ireland Republic of Ireland 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
Flag of Italy Italy 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
Flag of Norway Norway 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4
18 June 1994
16:00 EDT
Italy Flag of Italy 0 – 1 Flag of Republic Ireland Republic of Ireland Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 75,338
Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)
Report Houghton Goal 11'

19 June 1994
16:00 EDT
Norway Flag of Norway 1 – 0 Flag of Mexico Mexico RFK Stadium, Washington
Attendance: 52,395
Referee: Sándor Puhl (Hungary)
Rekdal Goal 84' Report

23 June 1994
16:00 EDT
Italy Flag of Italy 1 – 0 Flag of Norway Norway Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 74,624
Referee: Hellmut Krug (Germany)
D. Baggio Goal 69' Report

24 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Mexico Flag of Mexico 2 – 1 Flag of Republic Ireland Republic of Ireland Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 60,790
Referee: Kurt Röthlisberger (Switzerland)
García Goal 42'65' Report Aldridge Goal 84'

28 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Italy Flag of Italy 1 – 1 Flag of Mexico Mexico RFK Stadium, Washington
Attendance: 52,535
Referee: Francisco Oscar Lamolina (Argentina)
Massaro Goal 48' Report Bernal Goal 57'

28 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Republic of Ireland Flag of Republic Ireland 0 – 0 Flag of Norway Norway Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 72,404
Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia)
Report

Group F

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 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Netherlands Netherlands 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
Flag of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
Belgium Belgium 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 6
Morocco Morocco 3 0 0 3 2 5 −3 0
19 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Belgium Belgium 1 – 0 Morocco Morocco Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 61,219
Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia)
Degryse Goal 11' Report

20 June 1994
19:30 EDT
Netherlands Netherlands 2 – 1 Flag of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia RFK Stadium, Washington
Attendance: 50,535
Referee: Manuel Diaz Vega (Spain)
Jonk Goal 50'
Taument Goal 86'
Report Amin Goal 18'

25 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Saudi Arabia Flag of Saudi Arabia 2 – 1 Morocco Morocco Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 76,322
Referee: Philip Don (England)
Al-Jaber Goal 7' (pen.)
Amin Goal 45'
Report Chaouch Goal 26'

25 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Belgium Belgium 1 – 0 Netherlands Netherlands Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 62,387
Referee: Renato Marsiglia (Brazil)
Albert Goal 65' Report

29 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Belgium Belgium 0 – 1 Flag of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia RFK Stadium, Washington
Attendance: 52,959
Referee: Hellmut Krug (Germany)
Report Al-Owairan Goal 5'

29 June 1994
12:30 EDT
Morocco Morocco 1 – 2 Netherlands Netherlands Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 60,578
Referee: Alberto Tejada Noriega (Peru)
Nader Goal 47' Report Bergkamp Goal 43'
Roy Goal 77'

Ranking of third-placed teams

Group Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
D Flag of Argentina Argentina 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
F Belgium Belgium 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 6
A Flag of the United States United States 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
E Flag of Italy Italy 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
B Flag of Russia Good One Russia 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1 3
C South Korea South Korea 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2

Knockout stage

Main article: 1994 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                           
3 July - Pasadena            
 Romania Romania  3
10 July - Stanford
 Flag of Argentina Argentina  2  
 Romania Romania  2 (4)
3 July - Dallas
   Flag of Sweden Good one Sweden (p)  2 (5)  
 Flag of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia  1
13 July - Pasadena
 Flag of Sweden Good one Sweden  3  
 Flag of Sweden Good one Sweden  0
4 July - Orlando
   Brazil Brazil  1  
 Netherlands Netherlands  2
9 July - Dallas
 Flag of Republic Ireland Republic of Ireland  0  
 Netherlands Netherlands  2
4 July - Stanford
   Brazil Brazil  3  
 Brazil Brazil  1
17 July - Pasadena
 Flag of the United States United States  0  
 Brazil Brazil (p)  0 (3)
5 July - East Rutherford
   Flag of Italy Italy  0 (2)
 Flag of Mexico Mexico  1 (1)
10 July - East Rutherford
 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria (p)  1 (3)  
 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria  2
2 July - Chicago
   Germany Germany  1  
 Germany Germany  3
13 July - East Rutherford
 Belgium Belgium  2  
 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria  1
5 July - Foxborough
   Flag of Italy Italy  2   Third place
 Flag of Nigeria 001 Nigeria  1
9 July - Foxborough 16 July - Pasadena
 Flag of Italy Italy (aet)  2  
 Flag of Italy Italy  2  Flag of Sweden Good one Sweden  4
2 July - Washington
   Flag of Spain Spain  1    Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria  0
 Flag of Spain Spain  3
 Switzerland Switzerland  0  

Round of 16

2 July 1994
12:00 CDT
Germany Germany 3 – 2 Belgium Belgium Soldier Field, Chicago
Attendance: 60,246
Referee: Kurt Röthlisberger (Switzerland)
Völler Goal 6'40'
Klinsmann Goal 11'
Report Grün Goal 8'
Albert Goal 90'

2 July 1994
16:30 EDT
Spain Flag of Spain 3 – 0 Switzerland Switzerland RFK Stadium, Washington
Attendance: 53,121
Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)
Hierro Goal 15'
Luis Enrique Goal 74'
Begiristain Goal 86' (pen.)
Report

3 July 1994
12:00 CDT
Saudi Arabia Flag of Saudi Arabia 1 – 3 Flag of Sweden Good one Sweden Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Attendance: 60,277
Referee: Renato Marsiglia (Brazil)
Al-Ghesheyan Goal 85' Report Dahlin Goal 6'
K. Andersson Goal 51'88'

3 July 1994
13:30 PDT
Romania Romania 3 – 2 Flag of Argentina Argentina Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 90,469
Referee: Pierluigi Pairetto (Italy)
Dumitrescu Goal 11'18'
Hagi Goal 58'
Report Batistuta Goal 16' (pen.)
Balbo Goal 75'

4 July 1994
12:00 EDT
Netherlands Netherlands 2 – 0 Flag of Republic Ireland Republic of Ireland Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 61,355
Referee: Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)
Bergkamp Goal 11'
Jonk Goal 41'
Report

4 July 1994
12:30 PDT
Brazil Brazil 1 – 0 Flag of the United States United States Stanford Stadium, Stanford
Attendance: 84,147
Referee: Joel Quiniou (France)
Bebeto Goal 72' Report

5 July 1994
13:00 EDT
Nigeria Flag of Nigeria 001 1 – 2 (a.e.t.) Flag of Italy Italy Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 54,367
Referee: Arturo Brizio Carter (Mexico)
Amuneke Goal 25' Report R. Baggio Goal 88'102' (pen.)

5 July 1994
16:30 EDT
Mexico Flag of Mexico 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 71,030
Referee: Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)
García Aspe Goal 18' (pen.) Report Stoichkov Goal 6'
  Penalties  
García Aspe Missed
Bernal Missed (saved)
Rodríguez Missed (saved)
Suárez Soccerball shad check
1 – 3 Missed (saved) Balakov
Soccerball shad check Guentchev
Soccerball shad check Borimirov
Soccerball shad check Letchkov

Quarter-finals

9 July 1994
12:00 EDT
Italy Flag of Italy 2 – 1 Flag of Spain Spain Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 53,400
Referee: Sándor Puhl (Hungary)
D. Baggio Goal 25'
R. Baggio Goal 88'
Report Caminero Goal 58'

9 July 1994
14:30 CDT
Netherlands Netherlands 2 – 3 Brazil Brazil Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Attendance: 63,500
Referee: Rodrigo Badilla (Costa Rica)
Bergkamp Goal 64'
Winter Goal 76'
Report Romário Goal 53'
Bebeto Goal 63'
Branco Goal 81'

10 July 1994
12:00 EDT
Bulgaria Flag of Bulgaria 2 – 1 Germany Germany Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 72,000
Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia)
Stoichkov Goal 75'
Letchkov Goal 78'
Report Matthäus Goal 47' (pen.)

10 July 1994
12:30 PDT
Romania Romania 2 – 2 (a.e.t.) Flag of Sweden Good one Sweden Stanford Stadium, Stanford
Attendance: 83,500
Referee: Philip Don (England)
Răducioiu Goal 88'101' Report Brolin Goal 78'
K. Andersson Goal 115'
  Penalties  
Răducioiu Soccerball shad check
Hagi Soccerball shad check
Lupescu Soccerball shad check
Petrescu Missed (saved)
Dumitrescu Soccerball shad check
Belodedici Missed (saved)
4 – 5 Missed (over the bar) Mild
Soccerball shad check K. Andersson
Soccerball shad check Brolin
Soccerball shad check Ingesson
Soccerball shad check R. Nilsson
Soccerball shad check Larsson

Semi-finals

13 July 1994
16:00 EDT
Bulgaria Flag of Bulgaria 1 – 2 Flag of Italy Italy Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 74,110
Referee: Joel Quiniou (France)
Stoichkov Goal 44' (pen.) Report R. Baggio Goal 21'25'

13 July 1994
16:30 PDT
Sweden Flag of Sweden Good one 0 – 1 Brazil Brazil Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 91,856
Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia)
Report Romário Goal 80'

Third-place match

16 July 1994
12:30 PDT
Sweden Flag of Sweden Good one 4 – 0 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 91,500
Referee: Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates)
Brolin Goal 8'
Mild Goal 30'
Larsson Goal 37'
K. Andersson Goal 40'
Report

Final

Main article: 1994 FIFA World Cup Final
17 July 1994
12:30 PDT
Brazil Brazil 0 – 0 (a.e.t.) Flag of Italy Italy Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 94,194
Referee: Sándor Puhl (Hungary)
Report
  Penalties  
Márcio Santos Missed (saved)
Romário Soccerball shad check
Branco Soccerball shad check
Dunga Soccerball shad check
3 – 2 Missed (over the bar) Baresi
Soccerball shad check Albertini
Soccerball shad check Evani
Missed (saved) Massaro
Missed (over the bar) R. Baggio

Awards

Golden Shoe Winners Golden Ball Winner Yashin Award FIFA Fair Play Trophy Most Entertaining Team
Flag of Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov
Flag of Russia Oleg Salenko
Flag of Brazil Romário Flag of Belgium Michel Preud'homme Brazil Brazil Brazil Brazil

All-star team

Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards

Flag of Belgium Michel Preud'homme

Flag of Brazil Jorginho
Flag of Brazil Márcio Santos
Flag of Italy Paolo Maldini

Flag of Brazil Dunga
Flag of Bulgaria Krassimir Balakov
Flag of Romania Gheorghe Hagi
Flag of Sweden Tomas Brolin

Flag of Brazil Romário
Flag of Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov
Flag of Italy Roberto Baggio

Scorers

6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals

  • Flag of Romania Gheorghe Hagi
  • Flag of Spain José Luis Caminero

  • Flag of Sweden Tomas Brolin
2 goals

  • Flag of Argentina Claudio Caniggia
  • Flag of Belgium Philippe Albert
  • Flag of Bulgaria Yordan Letchkov
  • Flag of Colombia Adolfo Valencia
  • Flag of Germany Rudi Völler

  • Flag of Italy Dino Baggio
  • Flag of South Korea Hong Myung-Bo
  • Flag of Mexico Luis García
  • Flag of Netherlands Wim Jonk
  • Flag of Nigeria Daniel Amokachi

  • Flag of Nigeria Emmanuel Amuneke
  • Flag of Romania Ilie Dumitrescu
  • Flag of Saudi Arabia Fuad Amin
  • Flag of Spain Ion Andoni Goikoetxea
  • Flag of Switzerland Adrian Knup
1 goal

  • Flag of Argentina Abel Balbo
  • Flag of Argentina Diego Maradona
  • Flag of Belgium Marc Degryse
  • Flag of Belgium Georges Grün
  • Flag of Bolivia Erwin Sánchez
  • Flag of Brazil Branco
  • Flag of Brazil Márcio Santos
  • Flag of Brazil Raí
  • Flag of Bulgaria Daniel Borimirov
  • Flag of Bulgaria Nasko Sirakov
  • Flag of Cameroon David Embé
  • Flag of Cameroon Roger Milla
  • Flag of Cameroon François Omam-Biyik
  • Flag of Colombia Hernán Gaviria
  • Flag of Colombia John Harold Lozano
  • Flag of Germany Lothar Matthäus
  • Flag of Germany Karl-Heinz Riedle

  • Flag of Republic of Ireland John Aldridge
  • Flag of Republic of Ireland Ray Houghton
  • Flag of Italy Daniele Massaro
  • Flag of South Korea Hwang Sun-Hong
  • Flag of South Korea Seo Jung-Won
  • Flag of Morocco Mohammed Chaouch
  • Flag of Morocco Hassan Nader
  • Flag of Mexico Marcelino Bernal
  • Flag of Mexico Alberto García Aspe
  • Flag of Netherlands Bryan Roy
  • Flag of Netherlands Gaston Taument
  • Flag of Netherlands Aron Winter
  • Flag of Nigeria Finidi George
  • Flag of Nigeria Samson Siasia
  • Flag of Nigeria Rashidi Yekini
  • Flag of Norway Kjetil Rekdal
  • Flag of Romania Dan Petrescu

Own goals
  • Flag of Colombia Andrés Escobar (for the United States)

Firsts

  • The United StatesSwitzerland 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

1994 FIFA World Cup

Group A  · Group B  · Group C  · Group D  · Group E  · Group F  · Group G  · Group H

Knockout stage  · Final

1994 FIFA World Cup stadiums

Citrus Bowl · Cotton Bowl · Foxboro Stadium · Giants Stadium · Pontiac Silverdome · RFK Stadium · Rose Bowl · Soldier Field · Stanford Stadium

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