Who did it best? USA 1994 versus World Cup 2026 – then and now

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From the hairstyles to the stadia, the kits to the celebrations, we take a look at the changing face of the game.

Tap on the images below to fade between the visuals

Valderrama, Chong, Los Angeles Stadium and Maradona.

It’s 32 years since Diego Maradona went berserk down the barrel of a TV camera after scoring for Argentina; since Bebeto rocked an imaginary baby to sleep; since Roberto Baggio blazed his spot-kick into orbit (the tournament’s second worst penalty after Diana Ross’s blooper during the opening ceremony); since Carlos Valderrama wowed the world with his luscious blonde afro.

The visuals from the World Cup in 1994 were rich and cinematic, but does the beautiful game look that different on its return to the United States? Has football lost its style and soul? Or will this year’s tournament live just as long in the memory as its predecessor?

Overviews of the Pontiac Silverdome stadium in 1994 and the Los Angeles Stadium in 2026.A crowd of 73,425 attended the Pontiac Silverdome for the USA’s first game at the 1994 World Cup against Switzerland – the first World Cup match to be played indoors. A slightly smaller crowd of 70,492 crowd attended the Los Angeles Stadium in 2026 for USA’s opener against Paraguay, also under a roof.

Maradona and Lionel Messi celebratingMaradona’s wild-eyed celebration of his goal against Greece in 1994 is the stuff of legend – a few days later he would be suspended from the tournament after testing positive for drugs. The heir to his throne, Lionel Messi, scored twice against Austria this summer as he became the tournament’s all-time highest goal-scorer.

The official World Cup balls from 1994 and 2026. Adidas Questra ball from 1994 and the Adidas Trionda ball from 2026.The Adidas Questra ball from 1994 featured space-themed decorations to mark the 25th anniversary of the first moon landing. The Adidas Trionda ball from 2026 is made from just four thermally-bonded panels and the exterior design celebrates the joint hosting of the tournament between Canada, Mexico, and the United States (trionda means ‘three waves’ in Spanish).

The haircuts of Colombia’s Carlos Valderrama and Curaçao’s Tahith Chong.Colombian footballer Carlos Valderrama had iconic hair in 1994 – and he still does! Curaçao’s Tahith Chong has an eerily similar mop this time around.

Scoreboards in 1994 and 2026The stadium scoreboards for the World Cup in 1994 were visually discrete compared to the vast and sometimes overwhelming screens which dominate the stadia in 2026. The screen at Los Angeles Stadium measures more than 100m and contains 70,000 square feet of digital LED – making it the world’s largest two-sided LED.

Roger Milla and Cristiano RonaldoCameroon’s Roger Milla became the oldest ever scorer at a World Cup when he netted against in 1994 (aged 42 years, 39 days). Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo confounded his critics as he bagged two against Uzbekistan this year (aged 41 years, 138 days) to become the second oldest scorer.

Hydration breaks in 1994 and 2026The noon kick-off between Republic of Ireland and Mexico at USA 94 is notorious for being the hottest fixture in World Cup history, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees celsius. There were no official water breaks and the players described it as both horrendous and dangerous. This time around, all of the fixtures have hydration breaks, even though many are taking place inside climate controlled stadia. When Scotland played Haiti at the open-air Foxborough Stadium in Boston, they faced temperatures which peaked at 28 degrees.

Fans dressed as the USA footballer Alexis Lalas in 1994 and 2026.The American defender Alexis Lalas became one of the most recognisable stars of USA 1994 thanks to his signature hair and goatee. Fans impersonated him then, and they still do now.

Diana Ross and ShakiraDiana Ross famously flubbed a penalty during the opening ceremony in 1994, but the goal-frame still exploded as planned despite her shot going wide. Shakira led the first of three opening ceremonies this year with her performance in Cancun, Mexico.

Remote camera photographs of goals scored at the old and new East Rutherford Stadiums in 1994 and in 2026.Photographers have long captured images of goals using remote-controlled cameras, but in recent years they’ve been allowed to place their cameras directly behind – or even inside – the goal net to achieve more dynamic framing. These images were shot at the old and new East Rutherford Stadiums in New Jersey, the latter – better known as the MetLife Stadium – having replaced the former in 2010.

Bebeto’s celebration vs Matheus Cunha’s celebrationBebeto rocked an imaginary baby – in homage to his new born son – after scoring in the 64th minute of a pulsating clash against Netherlands in 1994. Matheus Cunha’s surfing celebration is inspired by his love of wave-riding and by fellow Brazilian Italo Ferreira, the 2019 World Surf League champion.

The Argentina starting elevens in 1994 and 2026The Argentina starting XI in 1994 featured Maradona, Diego Simeone and Gabriel Batistuta. This year’s crop include Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo De Paul and of course Lionel Messi. Note the colour of the dramatic difference in the colour of the boots by the modern side.

The USA 1994 mascot called Striker and the 2026 mascots Maple, Zayu and Clutch.The USA 1994 mascot called Striker was created by the Warner Bros animation team and was chosen by the American public. The 2026 mascots are Maple the Moose (supposedly a goalkeeper for Canada), Zayu the Jaguar (a striker for Mexico) and Clutch the Bald Eagle (a midfielder for the United States).

Norway fans in 1994 and 2026.Norway’s mass rowing celebration has been one of the features of the 2026 World Cup, while the motto Alt for Norge (Everything for Norway) dates back to a song that was released in 1994 to celebrate the country’s first World Cup qualification.

Photographers taking pictures before kick off.Where once a single photographer would snap the manager during the national anthem, nowadays an army of photographers hunts for the same shot. England manager Thomas Tuchel was so aggrieved by being unable to see his own players before the match against Croatia in 2026 that he demanded the photographers be moved out of his way for the next match.

Jorge Campos wearing a wing-suit kit in 1994 and Guillermo Ochoa wearing purple in 2026.Jorge Campos famously designed his own goalkeeper kits, supposedly taking inspiration from surfing. In comparison, modern designs look tediously generic. Guillermo Ochoa, attending his sixth World Cup as a player, wore a plain purple kit when he was substituted onto the field against the Czech Republic.

Roberto Baggio in 1994 and 2026.Roberto Baggio, aka the Divine Ponytail, will always be remembered for his harrowing penalty miss in the World Cup final against Brazil. Having retired from football in 2004 after netting 27 times in 56 matches for the Azzurri, he is now an ambassador for Fifa and a guest of honour at this year’s tournament.

Brazil winning the World Cup in 1994 and the current Brazilian squad led by Vinicius Junior.Dunga lifted the World Cup for Brazil in 1994, their fourth such triumph, and his teammates included Romario, Leonardo, Taffarel and a teenage Ronaldo (pictured wearing blue). The current squad is led by Vinicius Junior and features other household names such as Neymar Junior, Gabriel Magalhães, Casemiro and Alisson Becker. Could they yet follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and lift the greatest prize in football?

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