How Beautiful Bologna Became a World Cup City Again… Three Decades On

The only mention of Bologna during the 1994 World Cup came after Italy had lost the final on penalties to Brazil.

The Selecao dedicated their triumph to the late Ayrton Senna, who had lost his life at the San Marino Grand Prix less than three months earlier. Airlifted from the circuit in Imola, the three-time Formula 1 champion was taken to Bologna’s Maggiore Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

From a football standpoint, Bologna was barely a blip on the radar three decades ago. The Rossoblu had just completed their first season in the old Serie C1, finishing fourth before losing to Spal in the promotion play-offs.

A return to Serie B came the following season before promotion to Serie A at the first time of asking. Bologna have played only four campaigns outside the top flight since then, have qualified for the Champions League and won the Coppa Italia under Vincenzo Italiano to end a trophy drought stretching back more than half a century.

So these days, a game at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara – a host venue at the World Cup in 1934 and 1990 – is also a major attraction in a city famous for medieval architecture, fantastic food, the world’s oldest university and porticoes stretching for miles.

And Bologna‘s new status in football is reflected in the World Cup squads, which contain five Rossoblu. Jhon Lucumi will make his World Cup debut for Colombia, as will Scotland’s Lewis Ferguson, Croatia’s Nikola Moro and Norway’s Torbjorn Heggem.

Remo Freuler, meanwhile, will represent Switzerland at his third World Cup after Russia 2018 – when he was an unused substitute – and Qatar 2022.

The veteran midfielder spent six-and-a-half seasons with Atalanta before moving to the Premier League with Nottingham Forest but returned to Italy after his debut campaign at the City Ground when he joined Bologna on loan.

Freuler hasn’t looked back since, making the the transfer permanent ahead of the 2024-25 season and racking up 123 appearances in all competitions.

“Here in Bologna, I’ve discovered what it truly means to be happy,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport last year. “I found everything I needed to play at my absolute best, and we are experiencing some beautiful things together. Choosing Bologna was the right decision.

“My family and I aren’t just happy here – we are absolutely thriving. Bologna was definitely the right choice.”

Ferguson, Freuler’s midfield partner for Bologna, is similarly effusive when it comes to speaking about the city he’s called home since joining from Aberdeen for a €2million (£1.7m) fee in the summer of 2022.

“As soon as I came here, I felt comfortable, I felt at home,” the Scot told Destination Calcio last year. “It’s a beautiful place to live. It’s good weather, good food, nice people. The city is beautiful. The culture is nice and it’s a relaxed lifestyle.”

Fond as Ferguson is of Irn-Bru and square sausage, settling in Bologna was helped by the city’s culinary offerings, which are extraordinarily good even by Italy’s lofty standards.

“I just knew the food in Italy was good,” he said. “Then when I arrived here, I quickly found out that Bologna is one of the best. It’s beautiful.”

A ruptured ACL ruled him out of Euro 2024 but he’s back to full fitness, made 45 appearances in all competitions this season and will be instrumental to Scotland’s chances of getting out of the group for the first time.

The Tartan Army are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1998 and Ferguson is passionate about playing for his national team.

“It means everything. It’s your dream growing up,” he said. “When you’re a kid and you’re playing in the streets, the number one goal is to play for your national team, to represent your country, represent your people.” 

Off the pitch, this World Cup will be particularly significant for Bologna owner Joey Saputo, whose native Canada will host fixtures in Vancouver and Toronto.

Born in Montreal to an Italian family, Saputo has been Bologna’s majority shareholder since 2014 and has helped turn the club from mid-table obscurity into one of the top eight in Serie A.

Bologna have changed a lot since the World Cup first landed on USA shores. Check out our city playbook and start planning your trip.