World Cup's 101 Most Memorable Moments: USA hosts for first time
Editor's note: Each day between now and the kickoff of the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Nov. 20, we'll unveil a different memory from World Cup history. The countdown from 101 continues with the United States' first World Cup on home soil.
The first 14 editions of the World Cup had one thing in common: each was hosted by a futbol-obsessed nation. Two countries — Italy and Mexico — had held the event twice. Then came the 1994 edition. Staged in the United States, that one shattered the status quo.
Soccer in America was virtually non-existent at the professional level or in the media in 1988, when FIFA awarded the U.S. the most popular event on the planet. With few exceptions, it was difficult even to watch matches from top foreign leagues in the pre-internet era. So the very idea of a stateside World Cup was met with derision outside the U.S. and mainstream indifference within it. The U.S. men's national team hadn't participated in the event since 1950. Most Americans didn't know what the World Cup was.
Awareness started to grow when a USMNT stocked with college players qualified, against all odds, for Italia ‘90. And the U.S. had some distinct advantages: a huge community of expatriates hailing from soccer hotbeds, enormous NFL stadiums in which the matches would be held, and, not least, the largest and most advanced economy on earth.
In the end, the tournament was wildly successful. It's still the best attended and most profitable World Cup ever. It gave FIFA the confidence to play subsequent tournaments in emerging markets like Japan, South Korea and South Africa. It also put the sport permanently on the map in America: one of FIFA's conditions for hosting was that the U.S. start a new first-division league. MLS, which welcomes its 29th team next year, will wrap up its 27th season just before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar kicks off.
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In 1994, the United States hosted the World Cup for the first time.
One of the leading soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.