Penalty Shootouts in the World Cup: Historical Numbers and Facts Before the 2026 Tournament

Since the adoption of penalty shootouts as a means to resolve draws before the 1978 edition, World Cup tournaments have seen numerous matches decided this way, making it one of the most thrilling and decisive moments in the history of the game.

According to a report by the 'Opta' network, penalty shootouts have been used in 35 matches throughout World Cup history, the first being on June 8, 1982, when West Germany defeated France 5-4 after a match that ended 3-3 and saw four goals scored in extra time.

The report indicated that the 2022 World Cup witnessed the highest number of penalty shootouts in a single edition, with five matches, including the final between France and Argentina, which was the third final in the tournament's history to be decided by penalties after the 1994 and 2006 editions.

Argentina is the team that has participated in the most penalty shootouts in World Cup history, with seven occurrences, winning most of them except against Germany in the 2006 quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Germany and Croatia have participated in four penalty shootouts each, winning all with a perfect success rate.

The report also notes that teams like Belgium, Bulgaria, South Korea, Morocco, Portugal, Sweden, and Uruguay have won all the penalty shootouts they have participated in throughout World Cup history.

Conversely, Spain is the team most prone to losing in penalty shootouts, having lost 4 out of 5 times, most notably against Morocco in the 2022 World Cup when they failed to score any penalty, becoming the second team in history to fail to score in a shootout after Switzerland against Ukraine in 2006.

Teams like England, Italy, France, and the Netherlands have also lost three times in penalty shootouts during World Cup tournaments, according to the same report.

Penalty shootouts in World Cup history have recorded some notable numbers, including two matches that ended with 12 penalties being taken, and three encounters that concluded after just 7 penalties. The data also showed that 39 attempts aimed at the upper part of the goal during penalty shootouts were not saved, making them the most successful in terms of conversion rate.

The report also pointed out that penalty shootouts in the World Cup have a lower success rate compared to shots during regular and extra time, with a conversion rate of 69.4% compared to 79.1% in regular and extra time, highlighting the clear psychological pressure during decisive moments.

According to the report, penalty shootouts remain one of the most exciting and decisive elements in World Cup history, with their significant impact on match outcomes in knockout stages.