Championship Soccer '94 is based on the computer game Sensible Soccer: European Champions. The gameplay is identical: a fast-paced, top-down soccer game with emphasis on fast passes and simple control system.
Players can choose between different teams and assemble their own tournaments. They can customize the number of participating teams and some rules. The main difference to the original is that there are fewer pre-set tournaments. Players can create their own World Cup qualifiers, a Maastricht Cup, and participate in European Superleague and EUFA Cup for club teams. Custom teams have different available tournaments.
The SEGA CD version uses its increased storage capacity for additional sound and some rendered movies, such as a flight over a stadium before starting a match.