2026 FIFA World Cup Countdown: From Diana Ross to Baggio - The World Cup Where Penalties Were Never Meant to Be

54 Days to Go: The Penalty Pattern of 1994

When people say something is written in the stars, they usually mean that whatever has just happened or is about to happen was completely unavoidable – an impassable twist in fate that destroys even the best-laid plans and forces a complete and total rethink to such an extent that it seems preordained by some divine power.

Now, I’m not one to believe in divine powers on or off the football pitch, but I can only imagine that was where Roberto Baggio’s mind strayed to after missing the penalty that handed Brazil the World Cup trophy and Italy a silver medal.

The reigning best player in the world, this was never supposed to happen to Baggio – his penalty record back in his home country of Italy was stellar, and after a string of performances in the knockouts where he netted five goals in three games, he couldn’t have gone into the game with more confidence if he tried.

🌎🏆 2026 FIFA World Cup Countdown

Day 46/100: Diana Ross Foreshadows Tournament's Final Moment

The 1994 USA World Cup was a supersized event, and it had the opening ceremony to match – Whitney Houston, President Bill Clinton and Diana Ross all played a big part in the show… pic.twitter.com/tuD2Hxfk7L

— Football Park (@FP_CentreCircle) April 20, 2026

However, it seems that it had been written in the stars, despite no one expecting it – the foundations for his miss were, in fact, laid by the first kick of the tournament, one which didn’t even occur within a 90-minute game. I am, of course, talking about Diana Ross’s shocking penalty during the 1994 USA World Cup opening ceremony, a moment which would curse a football game a month in advance.

Star Power

When the USA hosts a globally televised event, we all know what to expect. Glitz and glamour, roaring music, stars from stage, screen and beyond, and an overarching implication that they are the most successful country on earth (unless it comes to the football pitch).

This is underlined by the fact that even though seven World Cups have taken place since the 1994 edition, the USA World Cup still sits as the most financially successful tournament of all time, while also boasting the highest average attendance (68,991 per game), despite the expansion from 24 teams to 32 starting at the next instalment.

As such, their opening ceremony was indeed a spectacle. Held at Soldier Field in Chicago on what was a blindingly beautiful early summer evening, the conditions were perfect for the tournament's opening game that would follow.

For the World Cup. A 25 minute Super Bowl-style half-time show? Coldplay and adverts. The USA must never be allowed near this ever again. Ever.

— SophieSpring97 (@SophieP25397) April 17, 2026

As expected, the USA didn’t hold back, and if you watch the ceremony back on YouTube, your eyes will start to water at the mere thought of the budget it took to organise such an event: Oprah Winfrey, Diana Ross, and President Bill Clinton all played major parts at the event.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,500 high school students were employed for the day to give the event as much energy as possible, while a 300-head children's choir was also used in a bid to make the various musical acts stand out even more.

But while every act did their job and then some, the moment that will be forever remembered was actually one of the few that was completely unscripted, and it came towards the end of Diana Ross’s rendition of “I’m Coming Out”, which had perhaps unfortunately been picked as the ceremony’s first act.

Foreshadowing

To be fair, you’d be feeling the pressure as well. Imagine taking a penalty where it isn’t just the stands that are packed to overflowing with people, but the pitch as well, with all sorts of performances, backing acts and aids watching on as you take a penalty kick.

This was the scenario that faced Ross as the 1994 opening ceremony came to a close. In the midst of performing a heart-warming rendition of one of her best-known songs, those around her were constructing a pop-up set, though at the time, no one knew for what.

The set consisted of a plastic goal that could split down the middle for easy transportation, a football and a man in gloves posing as a goalkeeper, though we doubt he actually was one. With the ball placed around seven or eight yards from the goal, it was clear that Ross was scheduled to take a penalty, and the crowd steadily reached fever pitch.

As the song reached its trumpet solo, Ross steadily made her way towards the ball, with a corridor of people surrounding her from either side and no doubt not helping the pressure she would already have been feeling.

Running up towards the ball, Ross exhibited her unusual spot-kick technique, stalling her run towards the ball twice before finally swinging her leg at it, only to see it fly well wide of the bottom left corner. The goal was taken apart, and the performance went on, but the moment was what stayed in everyone's head.

It didn’t help that the trumpet solo playing in the background bared remarkable resemblance to the “You’ve Been Framed” title music, making the moment into something that appeared to have been taken from a gag reel. I half expected Harry Hill to drop a cheeky comment.

Even the British TV commentators couldn’t help but make a comment, saying, “Calamity! I don’t think that was supposed to happen.” They couldn’t have been more right, and what's more, it was a penalty that would arguably rival Roberto Baggio’s iconic miss just a month later.

We have already gone into Baggio’s penalty kick in depth – the man who had carried Italy to the final on his back, the man who had dug them out of countless holes, and the man who many considered to be the best in the world at the time; it just didn’t seem feasible that he could miss from 12 yards.

🌎🏆 2026 FIFA World Cup Countdown

Day 37/100: Roberto Baggio - The Man Who Died Standing

Eight minutes – that was how long Roberto Baggio stood on the penalty spot after missing his spot-kick in the 1994 World Cup final, handing Brazil the trophy in the process.

The standout… pic.twitter.com/JFmkr4Ht2Y

— Football Park (@FP_CentreCircle) April 10, 2026

When he did, he was as shocked as anyone, and his motionless 8-minute stand in the penalty box after his miss is testament to the emotion that a World Cup, and more broadly football as a game, can illicit.

Moreover, people quickly started to put two and two together. Remembering Ross’s missed penalty, which opened the tournament, and Baggio’s spot kick, which closed it, there appeared to be an unpleasant symmetry to the enterprise.

It was as if it had been pre-planned. To open a tournament with a missed penalty but to round it out with one seems like fate itself. Of course, neither had meant to miss their penalties – for Ross, it mattered little, although she would have been remembered more for her performance than the penalty had she scored it.

For Baggio, there was so much at stake, and he was going to go down in history whether it found the net or not.

It was sadly poetic that both failed to do so, and while the 1994 World Cup is remembered for a host of other reasons, it will forever be at the forefront of people's minds for the two penalty misses with drastically different consequences. It has since become the World Cup where penalties were never meant to be.