When World Cups Go to Penalties, These Teams Usually Win

Penalty shootouts have long been football’s ultimate pressure test.

After 120 minutes of play, years of preparation (and sometimes entire World Cup campaigns) can come down to a handful of kicks from 12 yards.

Historical data show that some countries consistently perform better than others when the stakes are highest.

The visualization above, based on data gathered by GiveMeSports, sheds light on this matter.

Argentina has won more FIFA World Cup penalty shootouts than any other nation.
Croatia has a perfect World Cup shootout record, having won all four shootouts it has played.
Several football giants, including England, Spain and Italy, have struggled from the penalty spot despite their success elsewhere.

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England, Spain and Italy have each participated in five World Cup penalty shootouts but have won only one.

France has fared only slightly better, winning two of its five.

These figures challenge one of football’s common assumptions: that the sport’s most successful nations are automatically the best at penalties.

Instead, the data suggests World Cup shootouts have often exposed a weakness rather than reinforced dominance.

Several of these countries have lifted the World Cup trophy, yet their records from the penalty spot remain surprisingly modest.