Table of Contents
World Cup penalty shootouts are brutal, but they are impossible to look away from. Eleven players, one goalkeeper, and a stadium holding its breath. No other moment in football puts that much pressure on one person alone. World Cup 2026 already gave us two shootouts today, with Paraguay losing to Germany and Morocco beating the Netherlands in Seattle. Here are the ten shootouts that mattered most since they started at the World Cup in 1982.
World Cup Penalty Shootouts: Quick Reference Table:
| Rank | Match | Year | Result | Why It Matters |
| 1 | West Germany vs France | 1982 | 5-4 | First-ever World Cup shootout |
| 2 | Italy vs Brazil | 1994 | 3-2 | Baggio’s miss decided the final |
| 3 | Argentina vs Netherlands | 2014 | 4-2 | Romero’s heroics, semifinal stage |
| 4 | France vs Argentina | 2022 | 4-2 | Decided the greatest final ever played |
| 5 | Brazil vs France | 1986 | 4-3 | Pele called it the match of the century |
| 6 | England vs West Germany | 1990 | 4-3 | Gascoigne’s tears, Waddle’s miss |
| 7 | Sweden vs Romania | 1994 | 5-4 | Tied for longest shootout in history |
| 8 | Spain vs Morocco | 2022 | 3-0 | Spain failed to score a single kick |
| 9 | South Korea vs Spain | 2002 | 5-3 | Co-hosts stun a football giant |
| 10 | Morocco vs Netherlands | 2026 | 3-2 | Hakimi misses, Saibari delivers in Seattle |
1. West Germany vs France:
The First of All World Cup Penalty Shootouts (1982). This is where it all began.
The original. The Night of Seville remains one of the most dramatic matches ever played, shootout or not. West Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher had already become a villain for a horrific foul on Patrick Battiston earlier in the game.
Uli Stielike missed the opening German penalty and sank to his knees in despair, becoming the first player to know what a World Cup shootout miss felt like. Schumacher then saved from Didier Six before Pierre Littbarski stepped up and finished calmly to send West Germany through. Nobody had ever seen anything like it before, because nobody had ever had the chance to.
2. Italy vs Brazil, 1994 (3-2)
No shootout in history has hurt more than this one.
The only World Cup final to finish goalless after extra time, and the shootout that gave football its most haunting image. Franco Baresi blazed Italy’s first kick over the bar. Daniele Massaro had his saved.
Then Roberto Baggio stepped up. The man who had dragged Italy to the final almost single-handedly with goals against Nigeria, Spain, and Bulgaria needed to score to keep Italy alive. He sent it over the crossbar. Brazil claimed their fourth title, and Baggio became forever linked to a single missed kick instead of the heroics that got Italy there in the first place.
3. Argentina vs Netherlands, 2014 (4-2)
One substitution decision changed everything.
Sergio Romero turned into Argentina’s hero in Sao Paulo, saving from Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder to send Argentina into the final.
Louis van Gaal had famously substituted his own first-choice goalkeeper specifically for the shootout, bringing on Tim Krul. This move worked perfectly in the previous round against Costa Rica. This time it backfired completely. Argentina held their nerve, and Messi stood and watched as his teammates booked their place in the final.
4. France vs Argentina, 2022 (4-2)
The greatest final ever played, settled in the cruellest way possible.
Arguably the greatest World Cup final ever played, and it still needed penalties to settle it after a 3-3 draw through 120 minutes.
Kylian Mbappe had already scored a hat-trick in normal time. Messi scored twice. But it was Gonzalo Montiel’s winning penalty that sent Argentina into delirium and finally gave Messi his World Cup.
Emiliano Martinez became a cult hero in goal, and the image of Mbappe walking off having scored three goals and still losing remains one of football’s cruellest scenes.
5. Brazil vs France, 1986 (4-3)
Pele called this the match of the century. The shootout proved him right.
Pele called this quarterfinal at the Jalisco Stadium the match of the century, and the shootout matched the billing. Socrates missed Brazil’s first penalty. Michel Platini, one of the greatest players of his generation, blazed France’s fourth attempt into orbit.
Luis Fernandez kept his composure to fire France’s fifth kick home and send the holders through in a contest that had everything a football match could offer.
“World Cup Penalty Shootouts: Quick Facts
- First-ever World Cup shootout: West Germany vs France, 1982
- Only teams to score zero penalties in a shootout: Spain in 2022 and Switzerland in 2006
- Most shootout wins at a World Cup: Argentina with six victories from seven
6. England vs West Germany, 1990 (4-3)
The night that scarred a nation for three decades.
The semifinal that built England’s entire relationship with penalty shootouts for the next three decades. Paul Gascoigne’s tears after picking up a yellow card that would rule him out of the final became one of the defining images of the tournament.
Stuart Pearce saw his kick saved. Chris Waddle, who had never taken a competitive penalty before, blazed his attempt over the bar to send West Germany through. England would not win a shootout at a major tournament for another sixteen years.
7. Sweden vs Romania, 1994 (5-4)
Twelve kicks. One goalkeeper. A night nobody in Stanford forgot.
Tied with the 1982 classic for the longest World Cup shootout ever, needing all twelve kicks before a winner emerged.
Hakan Mild missed Sweden’s opening attempt, and Dan Petrescu had his saved by Thomas Ravelli. Henrik Larsson, on as a substitute, gave Sweden the lead in sudden death.
Miodrag Belodedici then hesitated over his run-up and saw his effort saved by Ravelli, sending Sweden into a semifinal for the first time since 1958 and capping a stunning individual performance from their veteran goalkeeper.
8. Spain vs Morocco, 2022 (3-0)
Spain did not just lose. They did not score a single penalty.
A shootout remembered for what did not happen rather than what did. Spain failed to convert a single one of their three penalties, becoming only the second team in World Cup history to do so after Switzerland against Ukraine in 2006.
Morocco completed a historic run that would eventually take them to the semifinals, the first African nation ever to reach that stage, and this shootout was where the fairytale truly began.
9. South Korea vs Spain, 2002 (5-3)
The co-hosts were not supposed to be here. Spain found that out the hard way.
Co-hosts South Korea were never supposed to get this far, and their quarterfinal run was dogged by controversy throughout.
Spain had two goals controversially disallowed and several tight offside calls go against them before the match even reached penalties.
Hong Myung-bo stepped up to score the winning kick past Iker Casillas in Gwangju, sending the host nation into the semifinals and sparking scenes of national celebration that football had rarely witnessed on that scale.
10. Morocco vs Netherlands, 2026 (3-2)
The newest entry on this list, and already one of the best.
Cody Gakpo put the Netherlands ahead in the 72nd minute before Issa Diop’s header in the first minute of stoppage time forced extra time. Neither side could find a winner before the shootout,
Where Morocco’s captain Achraf Hakimi saw his penalty saved, a moment that should have ended Morocco’s run. Instead, Crysencio Summerville missed straight after, and Ismael Saibari stepped up to send Morocco through 3-2 on penalties and into the next round in Seattle.
Why World Cup Penalty Shootouts Never Get Old
Statistics tell part of the story. Argentina have won six of their seven World Cup shootouts, the most of any nation.
Germany had never lost one until Paraguay ended that record at World Cup 2026.
Spain have lost four of their five. But none of that explains why this format still grips an entire planet every four years. It is the only moment in football completely stripped of teamwork, tactics, and momentum.
Just one player, one ball, and the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders. World Cup 2026 has already delivered two of them. The tournament is not even halfway done.
Read More About: Top 10 Strongest World Cup Squads In The 2026 World Cup
FAQs:
What is the most famous penalty shootout in World Cup history?
The 1994 World Cup final between Italy and Brazil is widely considered the most famous, with Roberto Baggio’s decisive miss over the bar handing Brazil their fourth World Cup title.
Which team has won the most World Cup penalty shootouts?
Argentina have won the most World Cup penalty shootouts with six victories, including two at the 2022 World Cup against Netherlands and France.
Has any team ever failed to score in a World Cup penalty shootout?
Yes. Spain failed to score any of their three penalties against Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, becoming only the second team to do so after Switzerland against Ukraine in 2006.
How many penalty shootouts have there been at World Cup 2026?
World Cup 2026 has already produced two penalty shootouts, with Germany beating Paraguay and Morocco beating Netherlands, both on the same day.
What is the longest penalty shootout in World Cup history?
Two shootouts share the record for the longest in World Cup history, both requiring twelve kicks. West Germany beat France 5-4 in 1982 and Sweden beat Romania 5-4 in 1994, with both going to sudden death.
This is GoalVerdict's editorial analysis based on squad quality, form and tactics — not betting advice.