At the World Cup 2022, do penalty shootout goals count towards the Golden Boot? Let's look at the rules of the competition
(Image credit: Richard Sellers/Getty Images)
So, at World Cup 2022, do penalty shootout goals count towards the Golden Boot?
If so, that could be a godsend for a striker. Any player could feasibly score a goal a game up until the final, plus penalties in all three knockout rounds to up until the showpiece in order to hit double figures for the tournament as a whole.
Just look at Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi – who both scored their penalties in the shootout of the World Cup final. Well, unfortunately, it's not that simple.
Do penalty shootout goals count towards the Golden Boot at World Cup 2022?
No, penalties scored in shootouts do not count towards
Isn't it enough in this country to ask for the goals to be scored, let alone for them to count towards individual records? (Image credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Goals scored in shootouts are in fact considered outside of the conventions of a proper match: they don't count towards any tally in any competition – and equally goalkeepers' performances in shootouts don't count towards their statistics, either.
Penalties that are scored within the 90 minutes of a match – or the 120, should the game go to extra-time – are fair game. In the 2018 World Cup, Harry Kane scored six goals and 50% of those were from the spot. They all count, though: even the one that bounced in off his backside following a wayward Ruben Loftus Cheek effort.
Harry Kane scored six goals at the last World Cup – three from the spot. (Image credit: Elsa - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Those who remember clearly enough, however, will recall that the England captain netted twice from 12 yards against Colombia in the last-16 of the World Cup – once during the 90 minutes and once in the penalty shootout that was eventually won by the Three Lions.
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That would take Kane up to seven goals. But a penalty within the context of a shootout isn't actually a goal.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
