The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the fifteenth edition of an international football match between the men's national teams of FIFA member countries. After Italy, the United States played host in 1994, as had been decided six years earlier, on July 4, 1988, during a FIFA congress in Zurich. 133 countries participated in the preliminary rounds, including sixteen debutants. The draw for the final round took place on December 19, 1993 in Las Vegas. The tournament itself started on June 17 and ended a month later on July 17. The defending champion was Germany, which had won the title four years earlier at the expense of Argentina. For the first time, the three-point system was used in the group stage at a World Cup.