Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterThe early to mid 1990s were something of a wild era in football history. The sport was trying to crack the lucrative American market via the 94 World Cup, but American television networks were terrified of a sport with 45 minutes of uninterrupted play and absolutely zero commercial breaks.FIFA were also panicking after Italia '90, which remains one of the lowest-scoring, most defensively cynical World Cups in history, averaging a measly 2.21 goals per game and featuring a dreadful, foul-heavy final.To fix the game for American audiences and increase goals, FIFA seriously considered several radical changes. Four 25-Minute Quarters was onePlay our FREE match predictor and win �1kIn 1990 FIFA tried to introduce 25-minute quarters to accomodate TV networksIn March 1990, FIFA President Jo�o Havelange dropped a bombshell by suggesting football abandon its traditional two 45-minute halves in favour of four 25-minute quarters. The Goal? To blatantly accommodate American television networks like ABC and ESPN, who held the 1994 rights.Television executives believed that without regular stoppages, the tournament would become a massive financial risk because there wasnt enough space for commercials. Naturally, purists went ballistic. You may like World Cup hydration breaks are thwarting attacking play in North America - and here's the proof Hydration breaks in European leagues proposed, with BBC pundits discussing 'quarters' USA '94 legacy: why two big misses didn't prevent a World Cup hit UEFA, backed heavily by the traditionalist British Home Associations on the International Football Association Board (IFAB), fiercely guarded the sanctity of the game's clock and flatly refused to butcher footballs structure for advertising dollars.Incredibly, making the goals bigger was also proposed. FIFA openly debated increasing the space between goalposts by a few inches to give strikers an advantage. That idea was also ultimately shot down by UEFA and IFAB.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.With clock changes and goal sizes sacrosanct, FIFA and IFAB had to find other ways to incentivise attacking football for USA '94. This resulted in rules we take for granted today like the back-pass rule, introduced in 1992 after a particularly tedious Euros final in Sweden.USA '94 was the first World Cup where goalkeepers were banned from picking up deliberate back-passes from their teammates' feet. It completely eliminated the Italia '90 and Euro 92 tactic of wasting time by passing back to the keeper.Three points for a win was introduced in 1981 but didnt come into effect until USA 94. Designed to discourage teams from playing for a boring 00, the group stages in America awarded three points for a win instead of two for the first time in World Cup history.Another first was that referees were allowed to wear colours other than traditional black (usually bright yellow, pink, or white) to avoid clashing with teams, and players finally had their names printed on the back of their jerseys.Ultimately, the compromise worked. USA '94 became a massive commercial success, shattered attendance records that still stand today, and averaged a much healthier 2.71 goals per game all without a single commercial break during play.TOPICSDiego MaradonaWorld Cup 1994World Cup 2026World Cup 1990Matthew KetchellSocial Links NavigationDeputy EditorA former goalkeeper, Ketch joined FourFourTwo as Deputy Editor in 2022 having worked across ChronicleLive, LeedsLive, Hull Daily Mail, YorkshireLive, Teesside Gazette and the Huddersfield Examiner as a Northern Football Editor. Prior to that he was the Senior Writer at BBC Match of the Day magazine. He has interviewed the likes of Harry Kane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gareth Southgate and attended two World Cup finals and two Champions League finals. He has been a Newcastle United season ticket holder since 2000 and has a deep knowledge on the history and culture of football shirts.
