Why England’s penalty specialists could decide the World Cup fate

England have reached the World Cup knockout stage, but with a third of matches extending to extra time and a quarter ending in penalties, the tournament now hinges on their spot‑kick specialists. Thomas Tuchel warns that two successful shootouts may be required to lift the trophy in North America. England’s shootout history was bleak, with eliminations by West Germany in Italia ’90, Argentina in 1998 and Portugal in 2006. The first victory arrived in 2018 when Gareth Southgate’s preparation delivered a win over Colombia in the round of 16. Subsequent successes came against Switzerland in 2019 and 2024, framing the Euro 2020 final loss to Italy as the lone recent setback. Thomas Tuchel said, “I have – on the highest level, since years and years – a penalty programme that is so easy (for me to) just wait for people to tell me who are the best shooters. We trained it. We have a process in place.” He added that assistant coaches and background staff have set “one of the best programmes in place”, confirming the platform is ready for any shootout scenario. Harry Kane has taken 122 penalties in his career, converting 108 for an 89% success rate. The England captain also recorded 19 penalties this season for Bayern Munich and England, including the retaken spot‑kick against Croatia in the group stage. He has never missed in a shootout, scoring in all five attempts.

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Ivan Toney, an Al‑Ahli striker, boasts 62 taken and 58 scored (94%). Both he and Tuchel note that his squad role extends beyond spot‑kick duties, yet his ice‑cold technique – staring at the goalkeeper before striking without looking at the ball – earned him a place in the Euro 2024 shootout where England scored all five against Switzerland. He has not yet played a minute at this World Cup. Bukayo Saka has attempted 16 penalties, finding the net 14 times (88%). After enduring abuse following the Euro 2020 final, he was applauded at away grounds at the start of the 2021/22 Premier League season and later scored in the Euro 2024 quarter‑final shootout versus Switzerland. He has taken two penalties for Arsenal this season, converting both, and has missed only once in the past three years. Marcus Rashford recorded 20 penalty attempts with 18 successes (90%). He was one of the three England players to miss in the Euro 2020 final, a match that sparked racist abuse. Since 2019 he has scored his last 14 penalties consecutively, though he has taken only one this season – against Serbia in qualifying – where he scored. If England progress to a shootout, Tuchel is expected to rely on this pool of proven takers, with Toney likely to be called upon despite his lack of World Cup minutes. The blend of experience and technique among Kane, Toney, Saka and Rashford could prove decisive as the tournament advances.