1994 FIFA World Cup

1994 FIFA World Cup
World Cup '94

1994 FIFA World Cup official logo
Tournament details
Host country  United States
Dates June 17–July 17
Teams 24 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s) 9 (in 9 host cities)
Final positions
Champions  Brazil (4th title)
Runner-up  Italy
Third place  Sweden
Fourth place  Bulgaria
Tournament statistics
Matches played 52
Goals scored 141 (2.71 per match)
Attendance 3,587,538 (68,991 per match)
Top scorer(s) Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov
Russia Oleg Salenko
(6 goals)
Best player 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 1950 World Cup, because of the bigger capacities of the American stadiums compared to those of Europe and Latin America. 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

Qualification

     Countries qualified for World Cup      Country failed to qualify      Countries that did not enter World Cup      Country not a FIFA member

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 Yugoslovia 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. The Republic of Ireland did qualify, so there was still a team from the British Isles at the tournament.

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.[1]

USA '94 mascot

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. 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.[2]

Germany's Lothar Matthäus scoring a penalty kick against Bulgaria in the 10 July quarter-final at Giants Stadium. Bulgaria came back to win the match

On the field, the biggest surprise of the tournament was Bulgaria. The Bulgarians had previously 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 F1 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 Stryker, a dog wearing a red, white and blue soccer uniform with a soccer ball.[3] Stryker was designed by the Warner Bros. animation team.[4]

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.

Pasadena, California
(Los Angeles, California, area)		 Pontiac, Michigan
(Detroit, Michigan, area)		 Stanford, California
(San Francisco, California, area)		 East Rutherford, New Jersey
(New York City, New York, area)
Rose Bowl Pontiac Silverdome Stanford Stadium Giants Stadium
Capacity: 91,794 Capacity: 77,557 Capacity: 80,906 Capacity: 75,338
Rosebowl.JPG Pontiacdome.png StanfordStadium2004.jpg NY Red Bulls vs LA Galaxy.jpg
Orlando, Florida
Citrus Bowl
Capacity: 61,219
Citrus Bowl aerial view.jpg
Chicago, Illinois Dallas, Texas Foxborough, Massachusetts
(Boston, Massachusetts, area)		 Washington, D.C.
Soldier Field Cotton Bowl Foxboro Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 63,117 Capacity: 63,998 Capacity: 53,644 Capacity: 53,142
Soldier Field Chicago aerial view.jpg Red River Shootout 2006.jpg Foxboro Stadium.jpg RFK Stadium aerial photo, 1988.JPEG

Media and broadcasting

Dallas, Texas, served as the primary international broadcast center, along with Los Angeles, California.

Referees

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

Squads

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

     Champion      Runner-up      Third place      Fourth place      Quarter-finals      Round of 16      Group stage

Group stage

Key to colours in group tables
Group winners, runners-up, and best four third-placed teams advance to the Round of 16

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 Andres 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
 Romania 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 6
 Switzerland 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 4
 United States 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
 Colombia 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
18 June 1994
11:35 EDT
 United States  1 – 1  Switzerland Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac
Attendance: 73,425
Referee: Francisco Oscar Lamolina (Argentina)
Wynalda Goal 45' Report Bregy Goal 39'
18 June 1994
16:35 PDT
 Colombia  1 – 3  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
16:05 EDT
 Romania  1 – 4  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
16:35 PDT
 United States  2 – 1  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
13:05 PDT
 Switzerland  0 – 2  Colombia Stanford Stadium, Stanford
Attendance: 83,401
Referee: Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)
Report Gaviria Goal 44'
Lozano Goal 89'
26 June 1994
13:05 PDT
 United States  0 – 1  Romania Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 93,869
Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)
Report Petrescu Goal 17'

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
 Brazil 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 7
 Sweden 3 1 2 0 6 4 +2 5
 Russia 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1 3
 Cameroon 3 0 1 2 3 11 −8 1
19 June 1994
16:35 PDT
 Cameroon  2 – 2  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
13:05 PDT
 Brazil  2 – 0  Russia Stanford Stadium, Stanford
Attendance: 81,061
Referee: Lim Kee Chong (Mauritius)
Romário Goal 26'
Raí Goal 52' (pen.)		 Report
24 June 1994
13:05 PDT
 Brazil  3 – 0  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
19:35 EDT
 Sweden  3 – 1  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
13:05 PDT
 Russia  6 – 1  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
16:05 EDT
 Brazil  1 – 1  Sweden Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac
Attendance: 77,217
Referee: Sándor Puhl (Hungary)
Romário Goal 46' Report K. Andersson Goal 23'

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 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 7
 Spain 3 1 2 0 6 4 +2 5
 Korea Republic 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2
 Bolivia 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1
17 June 1994
14:05 CDT
 Germany  1 – 0  Bolivia Soldier Field, Chicago
Attendance: 63,117
Referee: Arturo Brizio Carter (Mexico)
Klinsmann Goal 61' Report
17 June 1994
18:35 CDT
 Spain  2 – 2  Korea Republic 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
15:05 CDT
 Germany  1 – 1  Spain Soldier Field, Chicago
Attendance: 63,113
Referee: Filippi Cavani (Uruguay)
Klinsmann Goal 48' Report Goikoetxea Goal 14'
23 June 1994
19:35 EDT
 Korea Republic  0 – 0  Bolivia Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 54,453
Referee: Leslie Mottram (Scotland)
Report
27 June 1994
15:05 CDT
 Bolivia  1 – 3  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
15:05 CDT
 Germany  3 – 2  Korea Republic 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

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 the exact 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
 Nigeria 3 2 0 1 6 2 +4 6
 Bulgaria 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
 Argentina 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
 Greece 3 0 0 3 0 10 −10 0
21 June 1994
12:35 EDT
 Argentina  4 – 0  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
18:35 CDT
 Nigeria  3 – 0  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
16:05 EDT
 Argentina  2 – 1  Nigeria Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 54,453
Referee: Bo Karlsson (Sweden)
Caniggia Goal 21', 28' Report Siasia Goal 8'
26 June 1994
11:35 CDT
 Greece  0 – 4  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
18:35 CDT
 Argentina  0 – 2  Bulgaria Cotton Bowl, Dallas
Attendance: 63,998
Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)
Report Stoichkov Goal 61'
Sirakov Goal 90'
30 June 1994
19:35 EDT
 Greece  0 – 2  Nigeria Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 53,001
Referee: Leslie Mottram (Scotland)
Report George Goal 45'
Amokachi Goal 90'

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
 Mexico 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
 Republic of Ireland 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
 Italy 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
 Norway 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4
18 June 1994
16:05 EDT
 Italy  0 – 1  Republic of Ireland Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 75,338
Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)
Report Houghton Goal 11'
19 June 1994
16:05 EDT
 Norway  1 – 0  Mexico RFK Stadium, Washington
Attendance: 52,395
Referee: Sándor Puhl (Hungary)
Rekdal Goal 84' Report
23 June 1994
16:05 EDT
 Italy  1 – 0  Norway Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 74,624
Referee: Hellmut Krug (Germany)
D. Baggio Goal 69' Report
24 June 1994
12:35 EDT
 Mexico  2 – 1  Republic of Ireland Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 60,790
Referee: Kurt Röthlisberger (Switzerland)
García Goal 42', 65' Report Aldridge Goal 84'
28 June 1994
12:35 EDT
 Italy  1 – 1  Mexico RFK Stadium, Washington
Attendance: 52,535
Referee: Francisco Oscar Lamolina (Argentina)
Massaro Goal 48' Report Bernal Goal 57'
28 June 1994
12:35 EDT
 Republic of Ireland  0 – 0  Norway Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 72,404
Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia)
Report

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 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
 Saudi Arabia 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
 Belgium 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 6
 Morocco 3 0 0 3 2 5 −3 0
19 June 1994
12:35 EDT
 Belgium  1 – 0  Morocco Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 61,219
Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia)
Degryse Goal 11' Report
20 June 1994
19:35 EDT
 Netherlands  2 – 1  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
12:35 EDT
 Saudi Arabia  2 – 1  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
12:35 EDT
 Belgium  1 – 0  Netherlands Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 62,387
Referee: Renato Marsiglia (Brazil)
Albert Goal 65' Report
29 June 1994
12:35 EDT
 Belgium  0 – 1  Saudi Arabia RFK Stadium, Washington
Attendance: 52,959
Referee: Hellmut Krug (Germany)
Report Al-Owairan Goal 5'
29 June 1994
12:35 EDT
 Morocco  1 – 2  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  Argentina 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6
F  Belgium 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 6
A  United States 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
E  Italy 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
B  Russia 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1 3
C  Korea Republic 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2

Knockout stage

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                           
3 July - Pasadena            
  Romania  3
10 July - Stanford
  Argentina  2  
  Romania  2 (4)
3 July - Dallas
    Sweden (p)  2 (5)  
  Saudi Arabia  1
13 July - Pasadena
  Sweden  3  
  Sweden  0
4 July - Stanford
    Brazil  1  
  Brazil  1
9 July - Dallas
  United States  0  
  Brazil  3
4 July - Orlando
    Netherlands  2  
  Netherlands  2
17 July - Pasadena
  Republic of Ireland  0  
  Brazil (p)  0 (3)
2 July - Chicago
    Italy  0 (2)
  Germany  3
10 July - East Rutherford
  Belgium  2  
  Germany  1
5 July - East Rutherford
    Bulgaria  2  
  Mexico  1 (1)
13 July - East Rutherford
  Bulgaria (p)  1 (3)  
  Bulgaria  1
5 July - Foxborough
    Italy  2   Third place
  Nigeria  1
9 July - Foxborough 16 July - Pasadena
  Italy (aet)  2  
  Italy  2   Sweden  4
2 July - Washington
    Spain  1     Bulgaria  0
  Spain  3
  Switzerland  0  

Round of 16

2 July 1994
12:00 CDT
 Germany  3 – 2  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
16:35 EDT
 Spain  3 – 0  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
12:05 CDT
 Saudi Arabia  1 – 3  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
13:35 PDT
 Romania  3 – 2  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
12:05 EDT
 Netherlands  2 – 0  Republic of Ireland Citrus Bowl, Orlando
Attendance: 61,355
Referee: Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)
Bergkamp Goal 11'
Jonk Goal 41'		 Report
4 July 1994
12:35 PDT
 Brazil  1 – 0  United States Stanford Stadium, Stanford
Attendance: 84,147
Referee: Joel Quiniou (France)
Bebeto Goal 72' Report
5 July 1994
13:05 EDT
 Nigeria  1 – 2
(a.e.t.)		  Italy Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 54,367
Referee: Arturo Brizio Carter (Mexico)
Amuneke Goal 25' Report R. Baggio Goal 88', 100' (pen.)
5 July 1994
16:35 EDT
 Mexico  1 – 1
(a.e.t.)		  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 Scored		 1 – 3 Missed (saved) Balakov
Scored Guentchev
Scored Borimirov
Scored Letchkov

Quarter-finals

9 July 1994
12:05 EDT
 Italy  2 – 1  Spain Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
Attendance: 53,400
Referee: Sándor Puhl (Hungary)
D. Baggio Goal 25'
R. Baggio Goal 87'		 Report Caminero Goal 58'
9 July 1994
14:35 CDT
 Netherlands  2 – 3  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
12:05 EDT
 Bulgaria  2 – 1  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
12:35 PDT
 Sweden  2 – 2
(a.e.t.)		  Romania Stanford Stadium, Stanford
Attendance: 83,500
Referee: Philip Don (England)
Brolin Goal 78'
K. Andersson Goal 115'		 Report Răducioiu Goal 88', 101'
  Penalties  
Mild Missed (over the bar)
K. Andersson Scored
Brolin Scored
Ingesson Scored
R. Nilsson Scored
Larsson Scored		 5 – 4 Scored Răducioiu
Scored Hagi
Scored Lupescu
Missed (saved) Petrescu
Scored Dumitrescu
Missed (saved) Belodedici

Semi-finals

13 July 1994
16:05 EDT
 Italy  2 – 1  Bulgaria Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
Attendance: 74,110
Referee: Joel Quiniou (France)
R. Baggio Goal 20', 25' Report Stoichkov Goal 44' (pen.)
13 July 1994
16:35 PDT
 Brazil  1 – 0  Sweden Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 91,856
Referee: José Torres Cadena (Colombia)
Romário Goal 80' Report

Third-place match

16 July 1994
12:35 PDT
 Sweden  4 – 0  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

17 July 1994
12:35 PDT
 Brazil  0 – 0
(a.e.t.)		  Italy Rose Bowl, Pasadena
Attendance: 94,194
Referee: Sándor Puhl (Hungary)
Report
  Penalties  
Márcio Santos Missed (saved)
Romário Scored
Branco Scored
Dunga Scored		 3 – 2 Missed (over the bar) Baresi
Scored Albertini
Scored 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
Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov
Russia Oleg Salenko		 Brazil Romário Belgium Michel Preud'homme  Brazil  Brazil

All-star team

Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards

Belgium Michel Preud'homme

Brazil Jorginho
Brazil Márcio Santos
Italy Paolo Maldini

Brazil Dunga
Bulgaria Krassimir Balakov
Romania Gheorghe Hagi
Sweden Tomas Brolin

Brazil Romário
Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov
Italy Roberto Baggio

Scorers

6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
  • Sweden Tomas Brolin
2 goals
  • Argentina Claudio Caniggia
  • Belgium Philippe Albert
  • Bulgaria Yordan Letchkov
  • Colombia Adolfo Valencia
  • Germany Rudi Völler
  • Italy Dino Baggio
  • South Korea Hong Myung-Bo
  • Mexico Luis García
  • Netherlands Wim Jonk
  • Nigeria Daniel Amokachi
  • Nigeria Emmanuel Amuneke
  • Romania Ilie Dumitrescu
  • Saudi Arabia Fuad Amin
  • Spain Ion Andoni Goikoetxea
  • Switzerland Adrian Knup
1 goal
  • Argentina Abel Balbo
  • Argentina Diego Maradona
  • Belgium Marc Degryse
  • Belgium Georges Grün
  • Bolivia Erwin Sánchez
  • Brazil Branco
  • Brazil Márcio Santos
  • Brazil Raí
  • Bulgaria Daniel Borimirov
  • Bulgaria Nasko Sirakov
  • Cameroon David Embé
  • Cameroon Roger Milla
  • Cameroon François Omam-Biyik
  • Colombia Hernán Gaviria
  • Colombia John Harold Lozano
  • Germany Lothar Matthäus
  • Germany Karl-Heinz Riedle
  • Republic of Ireland John Aldridge
  • Republic of Ireland Ray Houghton
  • Italy Daniele Massaro
  • South Korea Hwang Sun-Hong
  • South Korea Seo Jung-Won
  • Morocco Mohammed Chaouch
  • Morocco Hassan Nader
  • Mexico Marcelino Bernal
  • Mexico Alberto García Aspe
  • Netherlands Bryan Roy
  • Netherlands Gaston Taument
  • Netherlands Aron Winter
  • Nigeria Finidi George
  • Nigeria Samson Siasia
  • Nigeria Rashidi Yekini
  • Norway Kjetil Rekdal
  • Romania Dan Petrescu
  • Russia Dmitri Radchenko
  • Saudi Arabia Fahad Al-Ghesheyan
  • Saudi Arabia Sami Al-Jaber
  • Saudi Arabia Saeed Al-Owairan
  • Spain Txiki Beguiristain
  • Spain Josep Guardiola
  • Spain Fernando Hierro
  • Spain Luis Enrique
  • Spain Julio Salinas
  • Sweden Henrik Larsson
  • Sweden Roger Ljung
  • Sweden Håkan Mild
  • Switzerland Georges Bregy
  • Switzerland Stéphane Chapuisat
  • Switzerland Alain Sutter
  • United States Earnie Stewart
  • United States Eric Wynalda
Own goals

Firsts

Large enthusiastic crowds attended the matches, such as this one at the Giants Stadium quarter-final match

Lasts

References

  1. ↑ History of the World Cup Final Draw FIFA
  2. ↑ World Cup Hall of Fame — Andres Escobar (1967–1994). CNN/Sports Illustrated. 8 May 2002.
  3. ↑ Wojciech Dzierzbicki XV FIFA World Cup (USA '94) World Cup History Page
  4. ↑ Funny... It Doesn't Look Like Football

External links

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1There was no official World Cup final match in 1950. 2No qualification took place as places were given by invitation only.
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