Argentina and Croatia lead in World Cup penalty shootout success

Argentina stands out as the most successful nation in World Cup penalty shootouts, securing victory in six of their seven attempts, including their triumph in the 2022 final. Croatia also maintains a perfect record, having won all four of their shootouts.

Mexico struggles with a mere 29% success rate from the spot, having scored only two out of seven penalties. In contrast, Egypt is the sole team to have converted every penalty they've taken in shootouts. The Netherlands and Spain share a record for the most shootout defeats, each having lost four times.

Individually, Lionel Messi of Argentina and Luka Modric of Croatia are the only players to have scored penalties in three different World Cup shootouts, both with a 100% success rate. However, Messi's overall World Cup penalty record stands at four goals from eight attempts, including two misses in the 2026 tournament. Roberto Baggio of Italy famously missed the crucial penalty in the 1994 final, scoring two out of three attempts overall.

Goalkeepers also play a vital role. Danijel Subasic and Dominik Livakovic from Croatia, along with West Germany's Harald Schumacher and Argentina's Sergio Goycochea, have each saved four penalties in World Cup shootouts. Subasic, Livakovic, and Portugal's Ricardo are the only goalkeepers to save three penalties in a single shootout. Ricardo boasts the highest save percentage at 75%, having faced four penalties.