"It is always a joy to play anywhere in the United States.
But the memories that the Rose Bowl holds as the place where we won
our first World Cup for over 20 years are almost too special to
describe. It holds a special place in our hearts."
Romario, Brazilian international
"The Rose Bowl was not a typical football arena. It was
quite an open stadium - not like the ones in Europe - and it was
the biggest in the States. With it being the biggest and the fact
we had so many Swedish supporters there, of course the atmosphere
was great. It was a friendly atmosphere - the only ones that were
mad were the Swedes!"
Martin Dahlin, Swedish international
"I cannot forget having to play against what seemed like
100,000 Colombians and then 100,000 Americans in the stands, and
how we defeated both nations. I remember the heat was almost
unbearable - we played in 40 degree heat in the middle of the
day."
Ioan Lupescu, Romanian international
Rose Bowl - I was there
Did You Know?
- The Rose Bowl is the home stadium of the UCLA American football team and hosts the annual New Year's Day Rose Bowl college football game.
- Eight matches were played at the Rose Bowl during the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the total attendance was 715,826. The average was 89,478.
- The Rose Bowl staged the first of five NFL Super Bowl showpiece matches in 1977, when the Oakland Raiders beat the Minnesota Vikings.
- The venue was given the name ‘Rose Bowl’ by police reporter Harlan W. Hall, who described how an extended stadium structure would look.
- The original Rose Bowl was a 57,000-seat horseshoe design. The record attendance was just under 107,000 and the present capacity is 92,500.
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