USA '94 World Cup - BBC Review

How did Ireland qualify they was on the same goal difference as Denmark for and against as well as same points

The old couple saying they will be rooting for Cameroon was a very nice moment, which also shows how popular Cameroon became after their extraordinary participation at the Italia 90. R.I.P. (i suppose) to this likable couple.

So refreshing not having England in a WC

Colombians was fucking crazy

Usa pls this is game is called football pls be normal ppl

Who's the guy who handed the trophy to the Brazilians? He looks familiar...

At the time I thought it was the most boring world cup ever and it took 29 years to finally admit it was great. I witnessed 1982, '86 and '90 and maybe that clouded my judgment.

I remember the Americans wanting to make it into four quarters for more advertising

Great tournament, let down by a 2 hour snoreathon of a final.

And now in 2026 it’s gonna be 48 teams and ultra modern stadiums. SoFi in LA, MetLife in NYC, Mercedes Benz in Atlanta and AT&T Stadium in Dallas look to be in the running for the final.

Great World-cup, Just a crappy final

Voller goal should have stood vs Bulgaria. 2-0 it would have been game over. Should have been Germany-Italy semis instead of Bulgaria-Italy. But that happens every world cup, although now it's getting harder with VAR although Argentina were robbed also vs the Saudi's in 2022. Italy also lucky against Spain not having Tassotti getting a red card on Enrique and should have been a penalty. Extra time game there if they convert the pen. Glad Bulagria made it anyway. Romania unlucky vs Sweden lol. What if Robby Bagiio was fit against Brazil in the final? Maybe Italy wins? I love this world cup. Nigeria, Sweden, Bulagria, Romania. Great, great stories. And the hosts USA gave Brazil all they could muster in that epic second round game. Brazil with Romario and Bebeto were amazing. Great, great world cup.

The more world cups in the USA the better.

HOW DID ROMARIO MISS THAT CHANCE AGAINST ITALY?!?! HOW?!

The sending off of that Bulgarian player against Mexico was laughable

Great tournament - no England or France 😂

The semifinals were crap, the final, the worst i"ve ever seen

Peter Drury Kevin keegan

Miss Barry Davies

The music is so disgustingly 90s

🇧🇷 ❤

I think Maradona was still drugged on his interview. He destroyed Argentina 🇦🇷 1994

Is that Shane McMahon in Little Italy??

BBC at USA 1994. Des Lynam did the opening games then Wimbledon from the Monday. Back in the KO stages. Very bored doing the football. Bob Wilson mostly filled in. Ascot and F1 French and BRITISH GP as well during the tournament.
Ger-Bol (OC and 1st half on BBC1, 2nd half on BBC2), USA-Sui, Col-Rom, Cam-Swe, Brz-Rus, Nia-Bul, Ita-Nor, Brz-Cam, Arg-Nia, Ger-Kor (from 30 mins due to Wimbledon over-run), ROI-Nor, Arg-Bul/ Ger-Bul, Rom-Arg, NL-ROI, Mex-Bul/ NL-Brz, Bul-Ger/ Ita-Bul. Live for the final like ITV.
ITV (hosted by Matthew Lorenzo in “the bunker”… Had athletics and Rugby Union during the tournament as well. Cost cutting due to no home nation and reduced advertising. Brian Moore returned home for a break missing the L16. ITV got 2nd picks of the KO stage infamously getting the late night SF between Brz-Swe. Overall, the lowest point of ITV Sport!!!)
Esp-Kor, Ita-ROI, NL-KSA, Ger-Esp, USA-Col, Kor-Bol, Mex-ROI, Swe-Rus, Bel-NL, USA-Rom, Brz-Swe (group)/ Esp-Sui, KSA-Swe, Brz-USA, Nia-Ita/Esp-Ita, Rom-Swe/ Brz-Swe (SF). Live for the final like BBC. Bob Wilson was poached from the BBC after Lorenzo took some stick for his (in-experience) presenting during the tournament.
The other matches were either highlights or just clips.

I had no idea BBC was a sh*t show even back then... wow! Those opening comments are ridiculous

What on earth was Bodo Illgner doing?

Seria muito bom este filme em HD (1080p e 60fps). Essa Copa do Mundo foi mágica. A primeira Copa que acompanhei logo com um título do Brasil.

Liverpool player almost ruined it ha ha

My favorite World Cup. So many legendary players in their primes, including my favorite, Romario. Baggio, Bergkamp, Stoichkov and Klinsmann were deadly; I only wish we had seen more of Maradona and Batistuta.

The refereeing was ridiculous; what's with all those bad calls and red cards?

The FIFA gang did it against your greatest football talent in history, legend of legends Diego Armando Maradona 💔 Argentina could have won the title led by legend Maradona. But FIFA did not want that!!!

Essa Copa do mundo dos EUA TEVE um grande número de craques como Gheorge Higi e Hristo Stoichkov fazendo uma GRANDE diferença pra suas respectivas seleções!

This was the best World Cup. The stadiums and kits were fantastic. It was a big jump too because the whole set up and appearance looks better than the drab Italia 90. I barely watched it though as I was too young.

This was hosted very well by the US. Very enjoyable time.

The voiceover sounds like it’s from the 60s not the 90s

VERY WELL EXPLAINED , THANK YOU

This was the first World Cup I remember. I didn't miss England because I'd never seen them in a tournament before so I had no preconceptions. We and most people we knew were supporting Ireland anyway and that Ray Houghton goal was an incredible moment. Everything about this tournament is so vivid to me. The Romanians who all ended in '-escu' and the Bulgarians who all ended in '-ov'. Ravelli clowning around but still being amazing. Baggio's heart-throb ponytail. The constant debate about whether it was one tournament too far for that German team. Roger Milla, Oleg Salenko, Saeed al-Owairan. And I see all of it through the prism of this documentary which was so much more well made than it needed to be. The music, the editing, the shots of Americana. The opening credits give me patriotic feelings for a country I'm not even from. The brilliant lines and cameos from fans, journalists, players, managers and people like the elderley American couple who just seem to have been out for a stroll only to discover that their town has been temporarily invaded by the greatest show on earth. "We'll be rooting for Cameroon!" they say when challenged on where their allegiances will lie in a Cameroon-USA matchup. "it made me sick, very sick. I'm still not over it" says the goodfella after losing to Ireland. "BBC always!" sing the Nigerian fans. "Bill! She's with us and she's safe!" exclaims an Irish fan with his arm around an Irish-shirt-wearing cardboard cutout of Hilary Clinton. And stitching it all together the beautiful, elegant, verbal prose of the incomparable tone poet, Barry Davies. Not only do we get his live commentary, but he narrates the whole thing and finds so many iconic things to say. Who else could possibly have come up with "It's an early kick-off here and some of the defenders are still having breakfast." I taped this review off the TV at Christmas 1994 and wore that VHS tape to shreds for the rest of my childhood. Pure, unadultered, nostalgia. To this day it is physically impossible for me to meet someone from Romania without bringing up Ilie Dumitrescu. I just can't physically not do it.

Thanks for this upload. It brings me some good memories. This was my first world cup to watch. The difference in time zone meant we watched matches late in the night. I fell in love with 🇧🇷 since then. All teams played for the shirt and the flag. No money issues or celebrity fantasy. Just plain and passionate soccer. Miss those days.

This was supposed to spark a soccer revolution for people of my generation in the US. (12 at the time). It did not. More people probably watched that World Cup than this one (in the states).

motsons fucking voice made my skin crawl

😄The Bulgarian player number 16 is gay lol, the celebration when Bulgaria beat Mexico that player is funny lol.

This was a great World Cup I was 11 and just got into football. I'm English so had no one to support except Ireland and I loved the whole tournament... Wish England had got there though.

Should never have being held in USA in 94 they are evil country

Clive Tyldesley on the BBC is wild!

Though I am Italian and the end result was a painful memory, Congratulations to Brazil! Baggio was magic and anyone that can seriously blame the guy for missing is a pathetic fan, without him we don't even get past Nigeria. I remember this was being the best tournament I have seen, The Super Eagles of Nigeria, The Amazing Bulgaria and Sweden, Romania with Hagi, Jorge Campos what a keeper! the Koreans played very well their come back vs Spain was Epic!