The United States was the surprise of the tournament, beating defending champions Argentina 3–0 and winning the group.[3] The United States went on to defeat Mexico on penalties in the second round but then lost to Brazil 1–0 in the semi-finals. They then fell to Colombia 4–1 in the third-place game, finishing fourth overall.[4][5]
In this edition of the tournament, extra time was not played if a match was drawn after 90 minutes. Instead it went straight to a penalty shootout.
The teams were divided into three groups of four teams each.
Each team plays one match against each of the other teams within the same group. Three points are awarded for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat.
First and second placed teams, in each group, advance to the quarter-finals.
The best third placed team and the second best third placed team, also advance to the quarter-finals.
Tie-breaker
If teams finish leveled on points, the following tie-breakers are used:
greater goal difference in all group games;
greater number of goals scored in all group games;
winner of the head-to-head match between the teams in question;
At the end of the first stage, a comparison was made between the third-placed teams of each group. The two third-placed teams with the best results advanced to the quarter-finals.
With four goals, Gabriel Batistuta and Luis García both ended the tournament as top scorers.
There were 69 goals scored in 26 matches, for an average of 2.65 goals per match.