​The World Cup has reached the quarter-final stage, suggesting we may see a few more high-stakes penalty shootouts before the tournament is decided. Before the knockout rounds began, BBC Sport and Opta examined every World Cup shootout penalty ever taken. And after four memorable shootouts in the last 32 and last 16, we decided it was worth crunching the numbers again. We have already witnessed the first World Cup sudden-death spot-kicks since 1994, two distinct shootouts recording a joint record five penalties missed, and only the second goalkeeper to come on as a substitute specifically for a shootout. So what have we learned from the 360 penalties taken in 39 shootouts since 1982?
The Netherlands, after their round-of-16 defeat to Morocco, joined Spain on a record four shootout defeats. Both teams have won only one of their five shootouts and have missed a total of nine penalties. England, with eight misses, are among three teams tied on three defeats. The most successful nation by far is Argentina, who have won six of their seven shootouts, including their triumph in the 2022 final in Qatar. Croatia remain perfect with four wins from four shootouts, while Germany suffered their first World Cup penalty shootout defeat this summer to Paraguay, leaving them with four wins and five losses overall. Colombia, who lost to Switzerland in the last 16, along with Japan, Mexico, and Romania, have each lost two from two shootouts.
With their victory over Australia in the last 32, Egypt joined Belgium and South Korea as the only teams to have scored all their penalties in shootouts. Mexico, by contrast, hold the worst record, converting only 29% of their spot-kicks (two successful out of seven). Switzerland’s record stood at 0% (three misses from three) before they beat Colombia to move to 50%.
Lionel Messi has converted every World Cup shootout penalty he has taken, though his overall World Cup game penalty success rate remains 50% in his career at the tournament. Only two players have nailed penalties in three different World Cup shootouts: Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Croatia’s Luka Modrić, each boasting a 100% success record in those specific shootouts. One of Messi’s successful penalties came in the 2022 final against France. However, Messi’s overall penalty record from the spot in World Cup games is only four successes from eight attempts, including two misses at the 2026 tournament.
Around two dozen players have converted two out of two in shootouts, while Italy’s Roberto Baggio is remembered for his two successful penalties out of three attempts, with the crucial miss in the 1994 final overshadowing the rest of his flawless performance in shootouts. The Croatian connection to penalty brilliance is underscored by the city of Zadar’s notable influence: Modrić’s teammates and a cluster of the world’s top penalty savers have come from this region.
Danijel Subašić (all of his shootouts in 2018) and Dominik Livaković (all in 2022) have each saved four spot-kicks in World Cup shootouts, from 10 and eight penalties faced respectively. West Germany’s Harald Schumacher (nine faced) and Argentina’s Sergio Goycochea (ten faced) have also saved four penalties in World Cup shootouts. Subašić, Livaković, and Portugal’s Ricardo Pereira are the only goalkeepers to save three penalties in a single shootout. Ricardo’s record stands out as the best for a goalkeeper in terms of save percentage in this context.