From Nation to Nation: The 1994 and 1999 FIFA World Cups

“We will reward with our cheers the courage and skill of all the players. Let us, in the process, come to appreciate the unity of people throughout the world that this game represents.”

President Bill Clinton, June 17, 1994

In the United States we call it soccer. In the rest of the world the game is known as football. Many people call it the beautiful game and others think it is the most boring of all games. Regardless, the World Cup is arguably the most important sporting event in the world.

The FIFA World Cup is a tournament in which national teams compete in regional groups. Qualification for the World Cup final consists of many regional games, smaller tournaments, tie-break games, and play-in spots. The winners and best teams from each region qualify to attend the World Cup Final, which is held every four years.

The finals start with an opening round in which each team plays the other teams in their group. The group winners and best teams move to the knockout rounds. If you lose in the knockout round you are out of the tournament. The U.S. men’s team has played in 11 World Cup tournaments. That’s half of them. Brazil has won the most men’s tournaments.

The U.S. women’s soccer team has played in every FIFA Women’s World Cup since its inaugural tournament in 1991. They have won the tournament four times and were in the top 3 every tournament except 2023. The U.S. women have been the most successful women’s national team in soccer for decades.

The United States has hosted the men’s finals twice (1994, 2026), and has hosted the women’s World Cup twice (1999, 2003; and will again in 2031). When the U.S. has hosted, the World Cup has had the highest income and highest average attendance. The men’s 1994 tournament average attendance of 68,991 remains the largest.

1999 Women’s World Cup

The first Women’s World Cup was held in Italy in 1970. This small tournament, held in July, was won by Denmark. Italy and Mexico were second and third. This 1970 tournament was not a FIFA final. Many countries still banned women’s soccer at this point.

The United States hosted the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It was the 3rd FIFA Women’s World Cup and the first to host 16 teams. The tournament was held June 19 to July 10, 1999. The opening match was played in East Rutherford, New Jersey and the final was held in Pasadena, California.

The U.S. Women’s team beat China 5-4 on penalty kicks after they remained tied at the end of regular and overtime with over 90,000 spectators watching the spectacle. The U.S. Women were the first women’s team to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil.

1994 FIFA Men’s World Cup

The United States hosted its first FIFA World Cup tournament June 17 to July 17, 1994. The opening ceremony was held in Chicago, Illinois at Soldier Field. Games were played in nine cities across the U.S. The United States’s opening game against Switzerland at Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, Michigan, was the first World Cup game to be played indoors.

President Clinton and Mrs. Clinton attended the opening ceremony in Chicago. Tradition at this point held that the defending champion opened the World Cup final. The game was defending champion Germany vs. Bolivia.

The U.S. men’s team advanced to the knockout stage but lost to Brazil, who would ultimately win the 1994 tournament, with Italy and Sweden coming in second and third. Vice President Gore was at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to award Brazil the championship trophy.

Phil Caplan Collection

Phil Caplan served as Assistant to the President, Staff Secretary from 1998 to 1999. As Staff Secretary, Caplan analyzed and summarized President Clinton's paperwork, coordinated the comments of senior staff on decision memoranda, and provided counsel to President Clinton and senior staff on a wide variety of issues. Caplan also served as Deputy Staff Secretary from June 1995 to March 1998. Prior to joining the Staff Secretary's office, Caplan was Deputy Cabinet Secretary from 1993 to 1995.

Both as Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Staff Secretary, Caplan was also the designated White House "soccer liaison”. He became the White House staff representative assigned to a variety of soccer issues, including the 1994 and 1999 World Cup, Major League Soccer, and coordinating the Administration's efforts regarding the U.S. bid to host the 1999 Women's World Cup. The researcher should note that records concerning soccer date from Caplan’s time as Deputy Cabinet Secretary and later Deputy Staff Secretary. The records contain letters, briefing books, memos, reports, speeches, schedules, invitations, government publications, newspaper articles, and handwritten notes.

Foreign Diplomacy and the World Cup

When multiple nations come together and compete in the World Cup, foreign diplomacy inevitably plays a part. Heads of state use the opportunity to get rare, informal access to fellow world leaders. At times the duties of head of state mean simply showing up to support the team, a statement of national pride and support. At other times it means interrupting the game for negotiating peace agreements. The 1994 Men's and 1999 Women’s World Cup were no exception. At the opening of the 1994 World Cup in Chicago, Illinois, President Clinton watched the game between Germany and Bolivia with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. The world leaders were joined by former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

In 1999, at the Women’s quarterfinal game in Pasadena, California, President Clinton discussed the delicate plans of decommissioning the IRA. Work toward peace in Northern Ireland had been ongoing for years. As Clinton and Prime Minister of Ireland Bertie Ahern talked, the sounds of cheering could be heard in the background. The U.S. Women's team had scored an important goal to tie Germany. Even during moments of excitement for our country’s soccer team, the president remained focused on the enduring priority of international diplomacy.

In 1994, the United States hosted a diplomatic World Cup tournament. Foreign embassies in Washington, DC, fielded teams of ambassadors and diplomats to play against each other. The night before the 1994 World Cup opened, each embassy whose team was in the tournament hosted a dinner with foreign dignitaries, guests, and U.S. citizens invited as a gesture of peace and camaraderie.