As the world prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – to be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States throughout June and July – many sports fans have been looking back to 1994, the last time it was hosted in North America.The 1994 World Cup was spectacular, chaotic and ultimately, a great success. Its opening day was also one of the craziest days in world sports history – but that’s only part of the story. Read more: From ‘USA94’ to now: how soccer has changed since the last American World Cup A controversial hostThe US was chosen as host in 1988, ahead of Brazil and Morocco.The decision was controversial: soccer was not a popular national sport in the US, it did not have a professional league, and hadn’t qualified for a World Cup since 1950. A national poll taken three weeks before the first game indicated 71% of Americans were not aware the tournament was about to happen.The drawThe draw, to decide which countries would play each other in the group stage, was held in Las Vegas in December 1993. It was attended by famous actors, musicians, supermodels and athletes, and was intended to gain as much attention as possible.The late Robin Williams stole the spotlight with his improvisation, jokes at the expense of FIFA officials and enthusiasm for speaking gibberish to foreign dignitaries instead of their own languages. The 1994 US World Cup featured so much action, even before it started. Opening ceremonyThe star-studded opening ceremony was held in Chicago in front of a sold-out crowd of 67,000, with another 750 million watching on television around the world. It was hosted by Oprah Winfrey (who fell off the stage), and featured famous musicians such as Richard Marx and Diana Ross (who missed a penalty from five metres as part of a choreographed stunt).Then-president Bill Clinton officially opened the tournament. The opening ceremony was memorable in many ways. A wild first dayThe first day of the World Cup – June 17 1994 – was one of the craziest days in US sports history. Along with the opening ceremony and games, other sporting events to occur on this date included:game 5 of the NBA finals between the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets a tickertape parade for the New York Rangers after they broke a 54-year drought to win ice hockey’s Stanley Cupgolfing great Arnold Palmer played the last US Open of his career at 64 years oldKen Griffey tying Babe Ruth’s record for 30 home runs in the first half of a Major League Baseball season.Amazingly, these events were all overshadowed and interrupted by an even bigger sports-related moment: nearly 100 million people in the US tuned in to watch a car chase across southern California involving former American football star OJ Simpson who was arrested for murder.ESPN made a popular documentary about the events of this day titled “June 17th, 1994”. The on-field actionOnce the games began, “USA 94” gave fans far more than a novelty tournament in a new market. It was a World Cup of firsts: player names appeared on shirts for the first time, helping new viewers follow the action, and more points were given for a win in group matches to encourage more attacking playthe US’ 1-1 draw with Switzerland at the Pontiac Silverdome became the first World Cup match played indoorsthe Brazil-Italy final finished 0-0 after extra time and became the first World Cup final decided by penalties.The host nation also gave its new audience something to cheer about. The US reached the knockout stage, then faced Brazil on July 4: Independence Day. Brazil won 1-0, but the symbolism was hard to miss – the underdog host had pushed one of football’s great powers on the country’s biggest national holiday.There were bigger shocks elsewhere. Bulgaria became the tournament’s great surprise story, beating defending champions Germany and reaching the semi-finals. Romania, led by Gheorghe Hagi, knocked out Argentina in a 3-2 thriller. Saudi Arabia produced one of the goals of the tournament when Saeed Al-Owairan ran from deep inside his own half to score against Belgium. Saeed Al-Owairan’s wonder goal against Belgium. For a World Cup sometimes remembered through scandal and celebrity, the football itself delivered.In the end, Brazil won the final after extra time, but not as the carefree entertainers many people expected. This Brazil was organised, tough and powered by Romário and Bebeto. Then came the image that still defines the tournament: Roberto Baggio, Italy’s famous “Divine Ponytail”, sending the final kick over the bar and handing Brazil its fourth men’s World Cup title.Other notable incidentsOne of soccer’s greatest players, Argentina’s Diego Maradona, scored a goal against Greece, but failed a drug test after his next game. He was withdrawn from the tournament before he could be banned but stayed in the US as a commentator.The goalposts collapsed during the Romania vs Mexico match, causing a lengthy delay.To appease European broadcasters, most games started around midday US time. As a result, some fixtures were played in extreme temperatures.Colombia defender Andres Escobar scored an own goal against US that resulted in his team being knocked out of the competition. When he returned to Colombia, he was shot dead by gangsters amid speculation his error had cost drug barons millions in gambling losses. The legacy of ‘USA 94’The 1994 World Cup’s lasting legacy was soccer becoming more popular in the US. A successful professional soccer league (Major League Soccer) was set up after the event. The US also hosted, and won, the women’s soccer World Cup in 1999.In the end, the 1994 tournament exceeded expectations.More than 3.5 million spectators attended it, an average of nearly 70,000 a match: still records 32 years and seven world cups later.The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.