FIFA World Cup 1994 was an international football tournament held in the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. It was the 15th FIFA World Cup. This tournament was the most successful in terms of attendance and television viewership, as almost 3.6 billion people tuned in to watch the matches. Brazil won the World Cup, defeating Italy 3–2 on penalties after the match had ended 0–0 after extra time.
The format of the competition stayed the same as in the 1990 World Cup: 24 teams qualified, divided into 6 groups of four. 16 teams would qualify for the knockout phase: the 6 group winners, the 6 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. The tournament saw the end of Diego Maradona‘s World Cup career, Maradona was expelled from the tournament after he failed a drug test.
For the first time since 1938, a Unified Germany took part in the tournament. 24 Teams including hosts USA qualified for the World Cup Group Stage. Excluding USA, the remaining 23 teams participated in the 1994 World Cup, including 13 European teams, 4 South American teams, 1 North American team, 3 African teams and 2 Asian Teams. There were three new entrants in the tournament: Greece, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia; Russia also appeared as a separate nation for the first time after breakup of USSR.
The competition began on 17th June 1994. The knockout stages began on 2 July featuring Spain, Brazil, Sweden, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Romania, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, USA, Bulgaria, Mexico, Germany, Belgium, Nigeria, Mexico and Italy. Quarter Final stage held on 9 July & 10 July featured Netherlands VS Brazil, Italy VS Spain, Romania VS Sweden & Bulgaria VS Germany Matches. 1st Semi final was won by Brazil defeating Swedish team 1-0. 2nd Semi final was won by Italy defeating Bulgaria 2-1. Both semi finals held on 13 July 1994.
The final match took place on July 17, 1994 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Brazil won the match, defeating Italy 3–2 on penalties after the match had ended 0–0 after extra time. It was the first time in World Cup history that a winner was decided on penalties. Brazil became the first Football team to Win the World Cup 4th Time after Italy and Germany.
The FIFA World Cup 1994 saw the emergence of new stars, such as Romario and Hristo Stoichkov, as well as the resurgence of traditional powerhouses, such as Germany and Brazil. The FIFA World Cup 1994 was a significant event in the history of football and will be remembered for the exciting matches, powerful performances, and the emergence of new stars. It was an event that will forever be remembered in the minds of football fans around the world.