World Cup 2026: every penalty shootout until July and how they unfolded

A full recap of every penalty shootout at the 2026 World Cup up until July, including who scored, who missed and the key moments.

Penalty shootouts have defined the opening knockout round of this World Cup, and every World Cup 2026 penalty shootout so far has added to a rich, sometimes painful, penalty shootout World Cup history. This piece runs through how a World Cup penalty shootout actually works, the full record of World Cup penalties 2026 has produced, the most dramatic moments from those ties, and which countries have historically been best at penalties.

How does a World Cup penalty shootout work?

If a knockout match is level after 90 minutes, it goes to 30 minutes of extra time. If the scores are still level after that, the match is decided by a shootout. Each side takes five initial penalties, alternating attempts, with the team scoring more of their five declared the winner. If the sides are still tied after five penalties each, the shootout moves to sudden death, with each team taking one penalty at a time until one has scored and the other has missed.

Players who have already taken part in the match are eligible to take penalties, but only those still on the pitch when the final whistle blows, which means substitutions late in extra time are sometimes used specifically to bring on a recognised penalty taker or a fresh goalkeeper who specialises in shootouts. The away goals rule does not apply to knockout football at this level, so every tied match at the World Cup, home advantage or otherwise, is settled the same way.

Every shootout at the 2026 World Cup up until July

These World Cup 2026 penalty results make for essential reading given how much they have reshaped the knockout bracket. The round of 32 produced five shootouts across sixteen matches, the highest rate at any stage of any World Cup. Paraguay beat Germany 4-3 on penalties, ending the Germans' World Cup with their first ever shootout defeat at the tournament. Morocco beat the Netherlands 5-4, with goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saving two Dutch penalties before Ismael Saibari struck the winning kick. Argentina beat Switzerland 3-2 in a scrappy shootout in which three of the ten penalties taken were missed. Portugal beat South Korea 5-3, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring Portugal's first penalty in what could prove to be his final World Cup appearance. Colombia beat Senegal 4-2 in the most one-sided shootout of the round, with Senegal missing three of their five attempts. Anyone asking who missed penalties World Cup 2026 has thrown up so far need only look at Senegal's misses against Colombia and the mixed record both Argentina and Switzerland produced in their own tense shootout.

The most dramatic moments

The Germany defeat stands out as the shootout of the round given the shock value, marking the only time in World Cup history that Germany have lost a shootout. Morocco's win over the Netherlands was similarly dramatic, with two crucial saves from Bounou turning the tie in Morocco's favour before Saibari settled it. Argentina's win over Switzerland was less about quality and more about tension, with a string of missed penalties from both sides and a card shown to Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for time wasting during the shootout.

Which countries are best at penalties?

Historically, Germany had one of the best World Cup penalty shootout records in the tournament's history before this year's defeat to Paraguay, while England had long been considered one of the worst penalty takers at major tournaments before turning that record around in recent years. Argentina have also built a strong reputation from the penalty spot across multiple tournaments. This year's results are a reminder that no reputation, however strong, guarantees success once a match reaches sudden death.

Portugal's win over South Korea extends a reasonable recent record from the spot for a side built around confident, experienced penalty takers, while Morocco and Colombia's wins add to a growing list of nations outside the traditional footballing powers now matching or bettering the shootout records of some former World Cup winners. If this tournament proves anything about penalties, it is that recent practice and composure under pressure count for far more than tournament history or reputation alone.

What the shootouts tell us

Five shootouts from sixteen matches is an extraordinary rate, and it has already reshaped the shape of the tournament by removing two former champions in Germany and the Netherlands before the round of 16 has even started. With more knockout rounds to come, penalties look set to remain one of the defining stories of this World Cup.

Statistically, a rate like this is unlikely to continue at exactly the same level through the rest of the competition, but it does suggest this year's field is unusually evenly matched. When 90 minutes and extra time cannot separate two international sides, it is often a sign that the gap in quality between the so-called big teams and the rest has narrowed considerably, something this entire tournament has hinted at from the group stage onwards.

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