1994 FIFA World Cup

The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988. Despite soccer's relative lack of popularity in the host nation, the tournament was the most financially successful in World Cup history. It broke tournament records with a total attendance of 3,587,538 and an average of 68,991 per game, figures that were unsurpassed until the 48-team 2026 World Cup which was hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, despite the expansion of the competition from 24 to 32 teams from the 1998 World Cup.

Brazil won the competition, defeating Italy in the final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The game ended 0–0 after extra time, and Brazil won 3–2 in a penalty shootout. It was the first World Cup final to be decided on penalties. The victory made Brazil the first nation to win four World Cup titles. There were three new entrants in the tournament: Greece, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia; Russia also appeared as a separate nation for the first time, following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and for the first time since 1938, a unified Germany took part in the tournament. It was also the defending champion, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Bulgaria. It was the first World Cup in which three points were awarded for a win instead of two and also the first with the back-pass rule. This was done to encourage a more attacking style of play as a response to the criticism of the defensive tactics and low-scoring matches of the 1990 World Cup. This resulted in an average of 2.71 goals per match, compared to 2.21 in 1990.