ITV World Cup 94: Start and finish 

My first world cup. I was 10.The Americans put on a great show for this event.

That saxophone in the closing credits though...just evokes so many memories

As well as the kick off times Des was tied up with Wimbledon which meant Bob Wilson on the presenters chair most nights (even though Steve Rider was Des's deputy) on BBC and on ITV Elton Welsby turned that World Cup down having went back to Granada in 1992 as it would have meant a month away from family which meant Matthew Lorenzo and Tony Francis but the BBC also had Test Cricket, F1, Golf and Royal Ascot as well as Wimbledon in 1994 while ITV had Athletics and the Rugby tours along with News commitments on both Channels ITV at 5:40pm with regional following at 6pm and 10pm and BBC at 6pm with regional following at 6:30pm and 9pm which meant that many early evening and primetime kick offs were missed in the UK and regarding ITV the government of the day where rules regarding Ch 4 meant that ITV could not give some of their earlier games which kicked off at 5:30pm to Ch 4 though ITV could have showed the 2nd half of these live from 6:30pm with the programmes starting at 6:15pm with first half highlights along with matches kicking off in three different timezones

The Music Outro Of World Cup 94 Is Ride Form ZZ Ward

As Giles Smith wrote about Matt Lorenzo 'not since JFK has someone died as horribly in Dallas.'

I was 8 during this world cup. I remember the opening ceremony and just how bright it all looked.

To quote TV Cream: "It says everything about ITV’s coverage of USA 94 that the BBC managed to thrash them from start to finish, despite Des not really bothering due to Wimbledon, leaving Bob Bloody Wilson in charge most nights. (It also says everything about ITV’s coverage of USA 94 that they headhunted Bob Bloody Wilson straight after the tournament.)" If this wasn't the lowest ebb for sports coverage on ITV, then I don't know what is.

I think ITV should have persuaded Elton Welsby to do that World Cup as he was more experienced than Matthew Lorenzo and having to do it on the cheap due to the failure of the Home Nations to qualify

My first World Cup

This beat the naff choice of West Side Story that the BBC went with back then!

Just the 30 billion watching last night according to Matthew

IN DALLAS WE SWEAR TO GOD

ITV's coverage of sport was just sooooo dire.....and still is nowadays.

Graham Taylor was sacked as manager of England after my team didn't qualify for the 94 World Cup finals

30 billion?! Just 24 billion missing people on the planet then?

a mais bela canção tema de uma Copa do Mundo... é o Brasil ganhou!!!!

Greatest World Cup ever. 😊

First World Cup for me this was 8 at the time. Can’t remember italia 90 and just about remembered bits of euro 92. Didn’t think this tournament was that bad considering England didn’t make it. Remember watching Ireland Italy on itv on a Saturday night and was brilliant. But yeah looking back at the coverage bbc was miles better than itv. Shame really because imo Brian Moore is the best commentator of all time and lack of top flight football on itv post 92 was a waste of his talent.

On the 1994 World Cup Final coverage on ITV there was a 'Route to the Final' montage for both teams ... does anyone know what the background music was? It was like an Acid Jazz type track if I remember, been trying to find out for years what it is!

Do not know who is worse Lorenzo or Pougatch?

The best world cup in history...

Hardly think it's accurate for TV cream to say that the Tax on TV viewing brigade thrashed ITV from start to finish as the broadcasters wouldn't have been in direct competition until the final where the Jimmy Savile Corporation always tends to pull in the most viewers for major sporting events. Indeed from it's lowest ebb ITV Sport enjoyed something of a renaissance in the second half of the nineties. The most watched programme of 1998 was ITV's live coverage of the England V Argentina World Cup clash and just a year later more than 19 million viewers tuned into the Manchester Utd V Bayern Munich CL Final. By the end of the decade the lack of live footie on Auntie Nonce when compared to ITV's portfolio of live football prompted Des Lynam to switch sides.