Argentina have had a record seven World Cup penalty shootouts. Despite 74 nations having participated in the tournament since shootouts were introduced in 1978, La Albiceleste have been involved in a whopping 20 per cent of them. Brazil, France and Spain have played five shootouts apiece. Argentina have impressively triumphed six times on spot-kicks. They eliminated Yugoslavia and Italy in 1990, England in 1998, the Netherlands in 2014 and 2022, and France in the latter tournament’s final. Argentina’s only shootout defeat came against Germany in 2006, headlined by Jens Lehmann and a piece of paper. Sergio Goycochea, the Argentinians’ Italia ’90 hero, shares the record for the most penalties saved in shootouts alongside West German Toni Schumacher and Croatians Danijel Subasic and Dominik Livakovic.
Germany and Croatia have won all four of their World Cup shootouts. The Germans have exceptionally scored 17 of the 18 penalties they have taken in them, including their last 15.
Sources: FIFA Official
