1994 FIFA World Cup

The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th edition of FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. This was funded by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994 at nine locations around the country. On 4 July 1988 FIFA chose the United States as host. Given the absence of soccer heritage in the host nation, the event was the most commercially lucrative in World Cup history; helped by the high-capacity stadiums in the U.S., it broke the average World Cup attendance record of over 69,000 fans per game, a figure that still holds. Despite the subsequent widening of the competition from 24 to 32 teams, which was first introduced at the 1998 World Cup and is the latest format, the overall attendance of about 3.6 million for the final tournament remains the highest in the WC's history. Brazil won the tournament after the game ended 0–0 after beating Italy 3–2 in a penalty shoot- Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California close to Los Angeles, after some extra time. This was the first to be finalised in the World Cup finals on penalties. The achievement made Brazil the first nation to claim four World Cup titles. The tournament was attended by three new entrants: Greece, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia plus two countries formed at the end of the Cold War: Russia, after the break-up of the Soviet Union, and a newly reunified Germany took part in the tournament for the first time since 1938, after the reunification of that country in October 1990, which took place a few months after the victory of West Ge In the midst of the dispute, the U.S. hosted a highly popular match with a total attendance of nearly 70,000 setting a record that surpassed the maximum FIFA World Cup attendance of 51,000 in 1966, due to the large seating capacity provided to the fans by the U.S. stadiums compared to the smaller grounds in Europe and Latin America. Until this day, after the extension of the competition from 24 until 32 nations at the 1998 World Cup in France, the overall attendance of almost 3.6 million for the final game remains the largest in the history of the World Cup. On 19 December 1993 in Las Vegas Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, Italy and the United States were seeded for final draw. The format of the contest remained the same as in 1990 World Cup: 24 qualified teams, divided into six groups of four. The six group champions will qualify for the knockout phase, the six group runners-up and the four third-placed teams with the best records. Because of the 1998 expansion of the final tournament to 32 teams, this was the last time this format was used. This World Cup was the first to earn three points, instead of two, for a win. Following many teams 'defensive display at Italia' 90, FIFA launched this feature to encourage a soccer attack. The tournament saw the end of Diego Maradona's World Cup career, having participated in the 1982, 1986 and 1990 World Cups, leading Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title and the 1990 World Cup final. Maradona was suspended after he failed a drug check that contained ephedrine in his saliva, a weight losing drug. Colombia has failed to make it from the round robin, raising high expectations because of its style and excellent qualifying campaign. The team was reportedly dogged by pressure from betting syndicates and drug cartels, with coach Francisco Maturana receiving death threats over selection of squads. Defender Andrés Escobar was a tragic figure of this tournament as he scored his own goal in the group stage game against the United States which eliminated his team. Just 10 days later, Escobar was shot to death outside a pub in a suburb of Medellín, seemingly in retaliation for his own goal. The opening ceremony of the World Cup took place on 17 June at the Chicago Soldier Field.