"the most watched event in the history of the world"
Well, except in America where nobody gave a rat's ass (and still don't).
That's not entirely true, it didn't do great on TV, but every single match sold out, including even (iirc) a group play match between Saudi Arabia & Senegal in Dallas.
It was very interesting watching the '94 World Cup from abroad. A whole bunch of the local expats gathered at a bar for a random drawing of teams, winner take all pot. I remember my Irish friend giving all the Brits & Scots a hard time because England & Scotland had failed to qualify. Everyone was deeply skeptical about how the US would do. But when all was said & done the Aussies, Brits, Kiwis, Canucks, So. Africans, et al agreed that the US had done a marvelous job hosting, that the team had exceeded expectations and that the fan reactions were far better than they reckoned for.