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

The 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 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 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........

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