For the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, there have been plenty of changes compared to the last time USA hosted the infamous international tournament.
In 1994, only 24 teams featured in the World Cup, comparing to this summer which has doubled to 48 nations in a significant change.
Also, the controversial technology of VAR did not exist which would have been a blessing for the players competing in the United States.
Despite the many differences from the anticipating tournament in two days time, we look on the stand-out moments from the last World Cup that took place in North America.
Ireland Shock Italy In One Of The Tournament's Biggest Upsets
In Group E of the 1994 World Cup, every team finished on the same points (4) and ended with the same goal difference (0) which would be a rare occasion for the tournament.
Italy were one of the heavy favourites to win the trophy, but had a difficult beginning to their campaign when they faced Republic of Ireland.
The Boys in Green were the only British Isles nation to qualify for the tournament, meaning Britain would be keeping a close eye on the Irish.
Former World Cup winner for England, Jack Charlton, led Ireland in this World Cup and only took them as far as the round of 16, but they earned a stunning victory in the opening game.
Ray Houghton broke the deadlock inside 11 minutes after striking the ball past Gianluca Pagliuca from outside of the box.
Ireland were able to hang on and secure a 1-0 win, leaving Italy scrapping their way out of the groups and proceed to the knockout stage after being one of the third-placed teams with the highest amount of points.
Oleg Salenko's Five-Goal Masterclass Still Stands Alone
Oleg Salenko only made eight appearances for Russia, yet scored all six goals for his nation at the 1994 World Cup.
After losing their first two group games against Brazil and Sweden, it came down to the final game to see if the Russians could advance to the knockouts.
Pavel Sadyrin's side played Cameroon in the final game and produced a dominant performance in a 6-1 victory.
What was special about the win was that Salenko scored five goals in the match which broke the record for most goals scored in a World Cup game and hasn't been beaten since.
Combining that and his early penalty goal against Sweden, Salenko and Bulgaria's Hristo Stoichkov were the tournament's top goal-scorers and shared the Golden Boot.
Russia exited the World Cup after their comfortable triumph against Cameroon, just missing out by a point in the third-placed rankings for a knockout spot.
Maradona's World Cup Ends In Controversy
Diego Maradona is seen as one of the greatest footballers to have ever graced the earth through his incredible talent, but in the 1994 World Cup, his time was cut short.
Before making the tournament, Maradona had suffered a 15-month ban after proving he had used cocaine, but managed to gain his fitness back before the international competition.
The Argentine scored in the nation's opening group game against Greece in a 4-0 victory, going on to celebrate in front of a camera with an intense look and aggressive roar.
After Argentina defeated Nigeria 2-1 in their next game, Maradona was chosen for a post-game drug test in which he failed after testing positive for a banned substance.
The number 10 was expelled from the tournament, leaving Argentina without their most influential player.
Maradona's exit from the competition seemed to make a huge difference when Argentina suffered a 3-2 loss to underdogs Romania.
Bulgaria's Unforgettable Run To The Semi-Finals
Before competing in 1994, the furthest Bulgaria had ever reached in the World Cup was the round of 16 which took place in 1986.
Dimitar Penve led his nation further than anyone was expecting as The Lions were in their element in this World Cup.
Despite losing to Nigeria in the opening match, Bulgaria defeated Argentina and Greece to finish second place in Group D as they booked their place in the knockouts.
They faced 1986 hosts Mexico, who knocked them out in their last World Cup, beating the North American side on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Bulgaria then produced a shock in the quarter-finals, making a quick turn-around with goals from Stoichkov and Yordan Letchkov to defeat Germany 2-1.
The semi-finals is where they fell short as Italy prevailed with a 2-1 victory, before contesting for a third-place finish with a 4-0 loss to Sweden which made it the furthest Bulgaria have ever gone in a World Cup.
Baggio's Miss And Brazil's Fourth World Cup Crown
It was the first time in 24 years since Brazil made it to the World Cup final where they did beat Italy 4-1 which included goals from Pele and Carlos Alberto.
But this team was completely different to the one in 1970 so hard work had to pay off if the Brazilians wanted to capture their fourth World Cup.
Italy were also chasing for their fourth World Cup as their last final was in 1982 where they won against West Germany in Madrid, Spain.
After 120 minutes of a goalless draw, Brazil vs Italy went to penalties, making it the first time a World Cup final would witness a penalty shootout.
Dunga scored the Brazilians fourth penalty to make it 3-2, meaning Italy's top scorer of the tournament, Roberto Baggio, had to score to keep them in with a chance.
Unfortunately, the Caldogno-born forward skied his spot-kick over the crossbar, giving Brazil the win and adding another World Cup trophy to their collection.
