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World Cup 2026 will have a whopping 32 knock-out games and is all set for a bumper batch of penalty shoot-outs.
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Who will be best prepared when the time comes? If practice makes perfect or thereabouts, experience will count for a lot. Here's every team's record from the penalty spot.
Every nation's all-time penalty record
Every nation's penalty record over the past 10 years
Algeria
Algeria
Algeria have had nine penalty shoot-outs, winning four and losing five.
They've lost the last three in a row, starting with the final of the Africa Cup of Nations against Senegal in February 2023.
Argentina
Argentina
Argentina have taken part in 19 penalty shoot-outs, winning 13 and losing six.
With Emiliano Martinez in goal, they beat France the most important shoot-out in their history to win the final of World Cup 2022. Their last defeat was in the 2016 Copa America final.
Australia
Australia
Australia have had five penalty shoot-outs in their history, winning four and losing just one.
The Socceroos have never participated in a shoot-out at the World Cup finals but three of their wins were in qualification play-offs for the greatest show on earth.
Austria
Austria
Austria have never been involved in a penalty shoot-out.
If they get past Argentina, Algeria and Jordan, they could end up taking penalties in a knock-out game for the first time.
Belgium
Belgium
Belgium have participated in and won one penalty shoot-out in their history.
The Red Devils triumphed over Spain at the World Cup in Mexico 40 years ago, progressing to a semi-final in which they lost to eventual champions Argentina.
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina have competed in three penalty shoot-outs, winning two and losing one.
Their two wins came in back-to-back qualification play-offs for this very World Cup, with first Wales and then Italy falling by the wayside in a matter of days.
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil have had 15 penalty shoot-outs in the last four decades, winning eight and losing seven.
Four of their shoot-outs were at the World Cup including a success from the spot in the final in 1994, the last time the tournament was played in the United States.
Canada
Canada
Canada have been involved in seven penalty shoot-outs, winning two and losing five.
All but one of their shoot-outs have been in the Gold Cup or Copa America, the exception being a loss against Australia in the inter-confederation play-off for World Cup 1994.
Cape Verde
Cape Verde
Cape Verde have taken part in one penalty shoot-out in their history, which they lost.
South Africa came out on top from the spot in the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations in February 2024.
Colombia
Colombia
Colombia have had 10 shoot-outs, winning five and losing five.
Just one of those came at the World Cup. Colombia were beaten by Jordan Pickford and England in the round of 16 in 2018.
Croatia
Croatia
Croatia have been involved in seven penalty shoot-outs, winning four and losing three.
All four of those wins came at the World Cup in 2018 and 2022; they've never lost a World Cup shoot-out.
Curacao
Curacao
Curacao have had just one penalty shoot-out, which they lost.
St Kitts and Nevis were the Blue Wave's opponents in a Gold Cup qualification first round just three years before this World Cup.
Czechia
Czechia
Czechia have played three and won three when it comes to penalty shoot-outs.
After securing their placed in the EURO 96 final on spot kicks, they beat the Republic of Ireland and then Denmark on penalties in their World Cup 2026 qualification play-offs.
DR Congo
DR Congo
DR Congo have taken part in six penalty shoot-outs in their history, winning four and losing two.
Their most recent win from 12 yards was on their way to World Cup 2026, taking them past Nigeria in the CAF play-offs at the end of last year.
Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador have been involved in two penalty shoot-outs in their history and lost both.
La Tricolor were beaten by Mexico and Argentina in the quarter-finals of Copa America in 1997 and 2024 respectively.
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt have have 13 penalty shoot-outs, winning six of them and losing seven.
They missed out on the last World Cup after losing on penalties to Senegal. The Pharaohs have now lost four shoot-outs in a row.
England
England
England have endured 11 penalty shoot-outs in their history, winning four and losing seven.
They've won three of their last four, but the exception was at Wembley against Italy in the final of the European Championship five years ago.
France
France
France have participated in 10 penalty shoot-outs, winning five and losing five.
Les Bleus have won their last two shoot-outs but have been on the wrong end of penalties in two World Cup finals, losing to Argentina four years ago and to Italy in 2006.
Germany
Germany
Germany and West Germany have been involved in seven penalty shoot-outs, winning six and losing just one.
That lone defeat was their first shoot-out, a European Championship final loss against Czechoslovakia that birthed the Panenka penalty in 1976.
Ghana
Ghana
Ghana have had seven penalty shoot-outs, winning two and losing five.
Their only shoot-out in the World Cup was in South Africa in 2010, when they were beaten in an infamous quarter-final against Uruguay.
Haiti
Haiti
Haiti have never been involved in a penalty shoot-out.
They qualified automatically for World Cup 2026, their first World Cup finals since 1974.
Iran
Iran
Iran have had 13 penalty shoot-outs in their history, winning five and losing eight.
None of those 13 shoot-outs was in World Cup competition but Iran did win their last, beating Syria in the Asian Cup in 2023.
Iraq
Iraq
Iraq have been involved in seven penalty shoot-outs, winning four and losing three.
They lost their last two, both in Gulf Cup semi-finals, and have never faced a penalty shoot-out in World Cup action.
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast have had 11 penalty shoot-outs, winning five and losing six.
In February 2006, the Elephants won a remarkable shoot-out 12-11 to knock Cameroon out of the Africa Cup of Nations at the quarter-final stage.
Japan
Japan
Japan have had eight penalty shoot-outs, winning four and losing four.
They went out of the last World Cup on spot kicks, losing to Croatia in the round of 16. Samurai Blue suffered the same fate against Paraguay in South Africa 12 years earlier.
Jordan
Jordan
Jordan have had matches settled on penalties four times, winning two and losing two.
Both wins were in World Cup qualification, first against Kyrgistan in 2007 and then against Uzbekistan in 2013.
Mexico
Mexico
Mexico have become penalty shoot-out masters, taking part in 13 of them. They've won seven and lost six in the last 40 years.
El Tri went out of World Cup 1986 and World Cup 1994 by virtue of their first two shoot-outs but come into this home World Cup on a run of four penalties wins in a row.
Morocco
Morocco
Morocco and penalties have become a sore subject but they have been involved in eight shoot-outs, winning four and losing four.
They've won their last three shoot-outs, including one at this year's Africa Cup of Nations and once against Spain at the last World Cup – the only time they've need the tiebreaker against non-African opposition.
Netherlands
Netherlands
Netherlands and penalty shoot-outs are not a happy combination. The Oranje have been involved in nine shoot-outs, winning two and losing the other seven.
That includes the last three in a row, twice in World Cup knock-out games against Argentina in 2014 and 2022.
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand have only had one penalty shoot-out, a win against Papua New Guinea in a World Cup qualification play-off in 2016.
Norway
Norway
Norway have never been involved in a penalty shoot-out.
With one of the world's most reliable scorers and solid penalty takers on the planet in their ranks, they'll be going in with a significant advantage if they need to win one in July.
Panama
Panama
Panama have been called into penalty shoot-out action 11 times, winning seven and losing four.
All 11 shoot-outs have been in CONCACAF competition and a loss to Honduras last summer was their first penalties defeat in six.
Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay have taken part in eight penalty shoot-outs, winning four and losing four.
The four wins came one after another in the middle of the eight and the first was a victory over Japan at the World Cup in 2010, Paraguay's only World Cup shoot-out to date.
Portugal
Portugal
Portugal are relative newcomers to the penalty shoot-out party. They've had eight in their history, winning five and losing three.
Their back-to-back shoot-out wins against England at the European Championship in 2004 and World Cup 2006 were their first two tiebreakers.
Qatar
Qatar
Qatar have been involved in two penalty shoot-outs, winning two and losing neither.
As a young football nation, their victories over Egypt and Uzbekistan on penalties both occurred inside the last five years.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia have had five penalty shoot-outs in their history, winning the first four and losing the most recent one.
All five shoot-outs took place in the Asian Cup across a time period that spanned from 1984 to 2023.
Scotland
Scotland
Scotland have a small but perfect penalty shoot-out record: played two, won two.
Their two wins of penalty came in consecutive qualifiers for the European Championship and saw them defeat Israel and Serbia to book a place in the finals tournament in 2021.
Senegal
Senegal
Senegal have been to penalty shoot-outs in some of their biggest-ever continental matches. In all, they've been in eight shoot-outs, winning four and losing four.
The Teranga Lions have both won and lost an Africa Cup of Nations final on penalties. Another of their wins – like the final of AFCON 2021, against Egypt – was their only shoot-out in any form of World Cup competition.
South Africa
South Africa
South Africa have a 50/50 record in penalty shoot-outs: played six, won three, lost three.
All six shoot-outs were in African competition, with the exception of a loss against Panama as an invited participant in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2005.
South Korea
South Korea
South Korea have had 10 penalty shoot-outs in their history, winning six and losing four.
Only one of those tiebreakers was in World Cup competition but it was a big one. In 2002, South Korea beat Spain on penalties in a World Cup quarter-final in Gwangju.
Spain
Spain
2002's loss to South Korea was one of Spain's 15 penalty shoot-outs. In all, they've won eight and lost seven.
La Furia Roja have been involved in five penalty shoot-outs at the World Cup, losing twice in the round of 16 and twice in the quarter-finals, and winning only against the Republic of Ireland in 2002.
Sweden
Sweden
Sweden are perhaps overdue a penalty shoot-out. They've participated in two, winning one and losing one.
Their shoot-outs were 10 years apart, first a 1994 win over Romania at the World Cup and then a 2004 European Championship loss to the Netherlands.
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland will be desperate to avoid penalties at World Cup 2026. They've had six shoot-outs, winning one and losing five.
They beat France in the European Championship in 2021 but one might suggest that Switzerland's poor record from the spot is karmic retribution for the 120 minutes that preceded their first-ever shoot-out against Ukraine at World Cup 2006.
Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia have played in eight penalty shoot-outs, winning four and losing four.
The very first one was the only time a Tunisia match has gone to penalties in a World Cup qualifier way back in 1977. They lost their last shoot-out against Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
Turkiye
Turkiye
Turkiye have been up and down in World Cup terms historically but they have been in and won just one shoot-out.
Their previous shoot-out was against Croatia in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in 2008, a game in which they went behind in the 29th minute of extra time and still came out of victorious.
United States of America
United States
United States have participated in nine penalty shoot-outs, winning six and losing three.
USMNT have never had a shoot-out in a World Cup context. One of the nine was in Copa America, with the other eight all in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay have been involved in 15 penalty shoot-outs in their history, winning seven and losing eight.
They've mostly been at Copa America but the most infamous was 16 years ago in South Africa, where Uruguay knocked Ghana out in the quarter-finals after the dismissal of Luis Suarez.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan might be willing to take any progress beyond the group stage at World Cup 2026 but if they pull it off and need to win a shoot-out, their record of played four and lost four would not bode well.
Bahrain, Jordan, Australia and Qatar have all beaten the White Wolves from 12 yards.
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