World Cup: Which Teams Have the Best Recent Penalty Shootout Record? 

Argentina fans celebrate winning the 2022 World Cup 

Penalty shootouts play a massive role at the World Cup. Argentina had to win two en route to the trophy in Qatar four years ago, including in the final against France, where Emiliano Martinez’s heroics allowed Gonzalo Montiel to stroke home the winner and take Lionel Messi to the promised land. The 2006 final also saw Les Bleus beaten from the spot, with David Trezeguet’s miss opening the door for Fabio Grosso to hand the Azzurri its third crown. 

This summer, the nerve-shredding shootout drama is set to ramp up. The World Cup’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams will result in a brand-new Round of 32 knockout stage. As such, there are now a mighty 32 knockout games which could be decided from the spot, up from the previous mark of 16 – including the third-place playoff. And that could spell bad news for betting favorites Spain. 

The latest odds from Lucky Rebel Sportsbook list the reigning European champions as a 9/2 favorite to win the World Cup this summer. However, La Roja have been dumped out of the World Cup from the spot on each of their last two visits, losing to hosts Russia in 2018 and again to Morocco in Qatar four years later. In fact, they have lost four of the last seven shootouts they have competed in, an ominous record should spot kicks take center stage this summer. 

But while Spain have one of the worst recent records of anybody heading to North America this summer, which teams have the best? Let’s take a look. 

Mexico 

Mexico will be co-hosting part of the World Cup, with 13 games being played across Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. They will also play in the tournament’s curtain raiser when they welcome South Africa to the Estadio Azteca in a repeat of the 2010 opener. That time around, El Tri claimed a 1-1 draw after captain Rafael Marquez bundled home to cancel out Siphiwe Tshabalala’s iconic opener. 16 years on, they will be hoping to begin the campaign with a win. 

The Mexicans have played out three penalty shootouts in the last decade, impressively winning all of them. Their most recent victory came in the 2023 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals when they beat Honduras 4-2 to advance. Two years before that, they beat Costa Rica in the same competition, this time around at the semifinal stage, with iconic goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa becoming the hero as he made two saves. 

El Tri also beat Costa Rica from the spot in the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals in 2019. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2005 for the last time Mexico lost a penalty shootout. That came in the now-defunct Confederations Cup semifinals, with Argentina triumphing before going on to lose to rivals Brazil in the final. 

Argentina 

Throughout the last decade, Argentina have featured in six penalty shootouts, winning five of them. They reached the 2024 Copa America semifinals from the spot, knocking off Ecuador in the semis courtesy of heroics from shootout specialist Emiliano Martinez. As we mentioned at the start of this piece, they also won two shootouts at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, beating the Netherlands in the quarters and then France in the final. 

But it wasn’t always this way. Heading into the 2021 Copa América, the Albiceleste had never won a major trophy with Lionel Messi in their squad. They actually lost back-to-back continental finals on penalties in 2015 and 2016 – the latter being their only such loss in the last decade. 

In 2021, it looked as though that miserable run would continue when Colombia managed to cling on to a 1-1 draw after extra time. However, the miraculous Martínez ensured that their jinx would come to an end as he saved from Davinson Sanchez, Yerry Mina, and Edwin Cardona to secure his side’s spot in the final. 

Argentina would go on to win that final, beating Brazil in the Maracana courtesy of Angel Di Maria’s delicious chipped winner. With Martinez between the sticks, they have won every penalty shootout they have competed in. 

England 

England are famously known for having a miserable penalty shootout record. Before 2018, they had never won on spot kicks, suffering heartbreaking exits against Portugal in 2006, Argentina in 1998, and Germany in 1990. The Three Lions have had to endure similar misery in the European Championships as well, with both Portugal and Germany picking up further wins, as well as Italy at Euro 2012. In fact, before Gareth Southgate took charge, they had lost all but one of the seven shootouts they’d ever competed in. 

But Southgate would usher in a new era. He would banish the shootout ghost at the 2018 World Cup when England famously beat Colombia in Moscow, Jordan Pickford’s save from Carlos Bacca allowing Eric Dier to sweep home the winner. Since then, there have been two further shootout victories, both coming against Switzerland, one in the 2019 UEFA Nations League and then another in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals. 

But boy, how England wishes their shootout record across the last decade stood at 4-0 as opposed to 3-1. The Three Lions have indeed lost a shootout over the last ten years, and you could argue that they would trade all three of those victories to just win this one. 

The defeat came in the final of the 2021 European Championships to Italy, with the giant Gianluigi Donnarumma thwarting Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, and Bukayo Saka to ensure that England’s wait for a major trophy went on. It’s a wait that has extended to 60 years heading into this summer’s World Cup.