Mastering the World Cup Penalty Shootout: Strategies and Insights
How to win a World Cup penalty – As the World Cup advances to its knockout phase, penalty shootouts reemerge as a defining moment in competitive soccer. The 2022 edition saw five such tiebreakers, and with an additional round in the 2026 tournament, the likelihood of surpassing that number grows. BBC Sport and Opta have analyzed 320 penalties across 35 shootouts since 1982 to uncover patterns and predict what might unfold this summer.
Historical Trends and National Performance
England once held the title for the most missed penalties in World Cup shootouts, with eight failures. This record was overtaken in 2022 by Spain, who missed all three kicks in the last-16 clash against Morocco, bringing their total to nine. Spain’s shootout struggles now place them above several nations, including England, in the all-time list of unsuccessful attempts. Argentina, however, remains the most consistent winner, securing six out of seven shootouts, including their 2022 final triumph over France.
Goalkeeper Heroics and Tactical Choices
While defenders and midfielders have dominated scoring rates, goalkeepers play a pivotal role in determining outcomes. Belgium, South Korea, and Paraguay have achieved a perfect 100% success rate in their five spot-kicks, whereas Switzerland’s goalkeepers have missed all three. Notably, Spain’s goalkeeper in the 2022 last-16, Rui Silva, faced three penalties but failed to stop a single one.
“There must be something in the water in Zadar,”
the article muses, referencing Croatia’s fifth-largest city. Two of the top penalty-saving goalkeepers in World Cup shootouts hail from Zadar. Danijel Subasic and Dominik Livakovic each blocked four kicks in their respective tournaments (2018 and 2022), while West Germany’s Harald Schumacher and Argentina’s Sergio Goycochea also reached the same tally. Subasic and Livakovic are among the few goalkeepers to save three penalties in a single shootout, with Portugal’s Ricardo boasting the highest save percentage at 75%.
Strategic Positioning and Psychological Factors
Players who target the sides—left or right—tend to succeed more often than those aiming down the center. Data shows 72.4% of kicks to the sides result in goals, compared to just 61.6% for central strikes. While fewer penalties are saved when shooting to the sides, the success rate remains higher, with only 19.2% of center kicks missing the target. Conversely, 22.6% of penalties taken to the sides are saved, and 19.2% of central kicks fail to connect.
Position on the field also influences performance. Forwards lead with a 75% scoring rate, followed by midfielders at 67.9% and defenders at 65%. No goalkeeper has yet taken a penalty in World Cup history, though mavericks like Jose Luis Chilavert, Rogerio Ceni, and Hans-Jorg Butt have never been part of a shootout. This trend continues as no tiebreaker has extended past the sixth round.
Order of Takers and Pressure Dynamics
The sequence of penalties can sway results, with players taking the first kick enjoying the highest success rate at 72.9%. This advantage slightly declines for the second and third takers (71.5% each) but remains steady until the fourth round, where the rate drops to 64.2%. The fifth round takers show a slight uptick, with 66.7% of kicks finding the net. The final round of sudden death has produced a 50% success rate, with four players from the sixth round scoring in the two shootouts that reached this stage.
“The least successful taker (outside of sudden death) is the player who goes eighth overall,”
the analysis notes. This position, as the second kicker in the fourth round, sees a 59.4% conversion rate, likely due to the heightened pressure of maintaining a team’s hopes until the final penalty.
Understanding these patterns—whether it’s the psychological edge of taking the first kick, the tactical advantages of side targeting, or the challenges faced by later takers—could offer teams a blueprint for navigating the high-stakes World Cup shootout. With the 2026 tournament poised to test these strategies again, the spotlight remains on the art of precision and composure under pressure.
