World Cup ’94 : WORLD CUP / USA ’94 : When They Play, Where to Watch

Here is the 1994 World Cup soccer schedule, with live TV broadcasts. ABC will show two of the United States’ first-round matches and the championship final from the Rose Bowl. ESPN will televise the United States’ other first-round match, plus both semifinals and the third-place game. ESPN2 will also carry some games. Univision, the Spanish-language network, will broadcast all 52 matches, most of them live.

GROUP A United States Romania Switzerland Colombia

GROUP B Brazil Cameroon Russia Sweden

Sites: Rose Bowl; Palo Alto; Pontiac, Mich.

*

GROUP C Germany Bolivia South Korea Spain

GROUP D Argentina Bulgaria Greece Nigeria

Sites: Chicago; Foxboro, Mass.; Dallas

*

GROUP E Italy Ireland Mexico Norway

GROUP F Belgium Morocco Netherlands Saudi Arabia

Sites: East Rutherford, N.J.; Orlando, Fla.; Washington

ABOUT THE COVERAGE

THE ANNOUNCERS

Most of the announcers on ABC’s telecasts will work double duty, also appearing on other ESPN games.

ABC

Studio host: Jim McKay

Play-by-play: Roger Twibell, Al Trautwig, Bob Ley, Ian Darke

Analysts: Seamus Malin, Rick Davis, Ty Keough

ESPN

Play-by-play: Bob Carpenter, Ian Darke, Jim Donovan, Randy Hahn, Bob Ley, Roger Twibell

Analysts: Clive Charles, Rick Davis, Ty Keough, Seamus Malin, Bill McDermott, Ron Newman, Peter Vermes

THE VIEWERS Share of the world’s population expected to watch the final game: 2 billion

A COMPARISON

1990 World Cup: 1.5 billion 1994 Super Bowl: 135 million 1993 World Series (game 3): 18 million 1993 NBA Finals (per game): 17 million

NO TIMEOUTS FOR COMMERCIALS Because soccer has no timeouts, commercials will air only before the game, at halftime, and after the game. Each 45-minute half will go uninterrupted.

Source: Associated Press