The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the last time the Los Angeles area hosted games for the tournament, with eight matches played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Thirty years later, the next World Cup is set to visit LA, with SoFi Stadium hosting eight matches, including two United States group stage matches.

Memorable Moments from 1994

The 1994 tournament was notable for several memorable moments, including the U.S. men’s national team’s first win in the World Cup since 1950, when they beat Colombia 2-1 at the Rose Bowl. The aftermath of the match was marred by the tragic death of Colombian defender Andrés Escobar, who scored an own-goal during the game and was blamed by some fans in his native country for their defeat.

The final group stage match saw the U.S. defeated by Romania 1-0, but the team still qualified for the knockout stage as one of the four best third-place finishers. The 1994 tournament was also notable for the first-ever World Cup final to be decided by a penalty shootout, with Brazil beating Italy 3-2 in the shootout after the match ended 0-0 after extra time.

SoFi Stadium, renamed Los Angeles Stadium for the tournament, will host five group stage matches and three knockout phase games, including a match between the U.S. and Paraguay on June 12 and a match between the U.S. and Türkiye on June 25.

Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.