FrontRowSoccer.com editor Michael Lewis attended the venue announcement for the 1994 World Cup in New York City for Soccer Week on March 23, 1992. This is his story in the March 26, 1992 edition of the publication.
By Michael Lewis
Soccer Week Editor
For those soccer fans who have feared they would have to travel hundreds of miles to catch even one match of the 1994 World Cup, worry no more. The World Cup is coming to Giants Stadium.
That fact was confirmed at a March 23 press conference at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, where the stadium was one of nine venues named by FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), soccer’s governing body and World Cup USA 1994 Organizing Committee.
Giants Stadium joins Orlando (Citrus Bowl) and Washington, D.C. (RFK Stadium) in the tentative Eastern group; Boston (Foxboro Stadium), Detroit (Pontiac Silverdome) and Chicago (Soldier Field) is in the Northern group; and Pasadena (Rose Bowl), San Francisco (Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto) and Dallas (Cotton Bowl) in the Western group all the sights picked for the 52 game tournament set for June 17 -July 17 1994 in football stadiums.
The tournament is divided into six groups of four teams each. Two groups will be assigned to each three city cluster.
Giant Stadium’s chances received a boost when FIFA recently announced it would relax its restrictions on field width. Giant Stadium is about seven yards too narrow. To meet FIFA requirements of 75 yards. Grass will still have to be placed over its artificial surface.
Because of its proximity to the city and its rank as the third largest stadium (76,891) Giants Stadium also is a strong candidate to hold the opening, second round, quarterfinal semifinal and championship matches.
Each stadium will host a minimum of four first-round games, although the schedule will not be announced until July in Zurich, Switzerland.
A New York area venue always was a priority to FIFA.
“For FIFA, it was a must to play in New York,” FIFA General Secretary Sepp Blatter said. “We could not bring the World Cup to the United States and not play in New York.”
That left the Yale Bowl in New Haven, 79 miles northeast of the city out in the cold despite a well-organized bid. “They were sensational,” said Alan Rothenberg, chairman, president and chief executive officer of World Cup USA 1994. “We could only pick nine venues. We felt with Giants Stadium and Boston, the Northeast region was ably covered.”
In an unconventional move that was in contrast with its slow moving policies, FIFA selected an indoor stadium for the first time, the Pontiac Silverdome. “This is an innovation that shows so called conservative FIFA has some open minded spirit,” Blatter said.
If successful, indoor grass stadiums could be the wave of the future, Rothenberg said. “I can’t read FIFA’s mind, but if it works, it could be a solution where weather it isn’t good in the northern parts of Europe, Rothenberg, said.
In perhaps the closest call, Orlando won out over Tampa and Miami as the Florida site. Miami, which has state of the art show Robbie Stadium and the Orange Bowl, lost out when an expansion baseball team, the Florida Marlins, was added at Robbie beginning in 1993.
Among those also failing to be named a host were Atlanta, site of the 1996 Olympics, Columbus, Denver, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Seattle.
Rothenberg said said that three cities would be selected as reserves sites in case if a site could not hold cannot meet requirements.
The Organizing Committee also plans to complete negotiations over domestic World Cup TV over the next 90 days.
Tickets are expected to go on sale in July. A special address For ticket information requests have been established to provide fans with information World Cup USA 1994 P.O. Box 1994 Los Angeles, CA 90051-1994.
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