CHAMPION: Brazil
RUNNER-UP: Italy
GOLDEN BALL: Romario (BRA)
GOLDEN SHOE: Hristo Stoichkov (BUL), Oleg Salenko (POL)
TEAMS: 24
TOTAL MATCHES: 52
GOALS SCORED: 141 (2.7 per match)
AVERAGE ATTENANCE: 68,991
SURPISES: With fears that a World Cup in the U.S. would not resonate with fans, the tournament set still record numbers for average and total attendance (3,587,538), while Bulgaria stunned the reigning champion Germans to reach the semifinal round.
FORMAT: Four teams in six groups in the preliminary stage, group winners, runners-up and two best third-place teams advanced to the knockout round of sixteen, followed by single elimination knockout play through to the final.
FIFA Fair Play Award: Brazil
1994 – Few expected a World Cup in the United States to generate the kind of buzz that would launch the game in America, but record crowds turned out to make the 1994 tournament the best attended in history. From Boston to Dallas and Los Angeles to Orlando, an average of just under 69,000 people witnessed each historical match.
Two surprise teams, Sweden and Bulgaria, reached the semifinals, with the Bulgarians led by Hristo Stoichkov upsetting defending champions Germany in the quarters. But there was no bigger surprise (or disappointment) when Argentina star Diego Maradona was expelled from the tournament for failing a drug test.
Cameroon star Roger Milla set a record as the oldest player to score a goal at the World Cup at 42-years old in the same match that Russian hitman Oleg Salenko set another record by finding net five times.
The U.S. also fared well by beating Colombia in the group stage and narrowly losing out to the eventual champions Brazil in the round of 16. There was tragedy though soon after as the own goal which sunk Colombia’s fortunes against the Americans resulted in the murder of defender Andres Escobar upon his return to South America.
But it was the Brazilians who shone brightest in America behind stars Romario and Bebeto, defeating Roberto Baggio’s Italy in the final after a penalty shootout at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Scoreless after 90 minutes, The Divine Ponytail Baggio would suffer the ignominy of a horrible penalty kick miss that handed Brazil its first World Cup title since 1970.
