Reimagining the FIFA World Cup (Part III: 1994–2018)

Alternative trajectories the World Cup could have taken

This is the final of a 3-part series, where I look at every World Cup edition and Final played, and try to imagine if it could’ve followed an alternative trajectory, a different direction and or a divergent destiny.

Given the difference in World Cup formats, and football rules, a comparison is not always exact. To maintain consistency, I look at each competition from the semi-final (equivalent). This allows for a decent sample size and keeps the post to a readable length.

This part focusses on the journey from USA 94 to Russia 2018. It follows from Part 1 (1930–1962) and Part 2 (1966–1990).

1994

Same Final, Different Winner 🏆

Maradona (expulsion), Escobar (assassination) Russia’ (first appearance), Yugoslavia (barred), Baggio, Bulgaria, Romania, Sweden and a Final that would give Greek tragedies a run for their money: USA 94 had everything.

Brazil were tested severely by a fluent Dutch side in a thrilling quarter-final but prevailed 3–2, albeit against the backdrop of a missed offside call. The Swedes, with whom they had drawn 1–1 in Group B, lay next. The semi-final had a different…