Here we go again. England are into the knockout rounds of a World Cup 2026, and now the threat of penalties loom over every nerve-jangling game with Mexico coming up in the last 16.
England’s relationship with shootouts was, for a long time, a tortured one. They were knocked out of Italia ‘90 by West Germany via the heartbreak of penalties, and suffered defeats by Argentina (1998) and Portugal (2006) in the same way.
The losing streak was finally lifted in 2018 when Gareth Southgate’s meticulous preparation paid off in England’s first-ever World Cup shootout win, against Colombia in the round of 16.
England have since won two shootouts against Switzerland, in 2019 and 2024, either side of that painful Euro 2020 final defeat against Italy.
Roughly a third of World Cup knockout matches go to extra time, and around a quarter go to penalties. Thomas Tuchel has said he believes if England are to go all the way and lift the World Cup in North America, they will most likely need to win two penalty shootouts en route.
England’s relationship with shootouts was, for a long time, a tortured one. They were knocked out of Italia ‘90 by West Germany via the heartbreak of penalties, and suffered defeats by Argentina (1998) and Portugal (2006) in the same way.
The losing streak was finally lifted in 2018 when Gareth Southgate’s meticulous preparation paid off in England’s first-ever World Cup shootout win, against Colombia in the round of 16.
England have since won two shootouts against Switzerland, in 2019 and 2024, either side of that painful Euro 2020 final defeat against Italy.
Roughly a third of World Cup knockout matches go to extra time, and around a quarter go to penalties. Thomas Tuchel has said he believes if England are to go all the way and lift the World Cup in North America, they will most likely need to win two penalty shootouts en route.
4 months ago
