Last update 17 June, 2026 by Alberto Llopis

The most dramatic penalty shootouts in World Cup history: 11 meters that decide

Penalties in World Cups are a cruel way to decide matches, but also one of the great memory factories of football. An entire race can fit in a few seconds., an entire country and an image that can haunt or glorify a footballer for decades.

Since the rounds entered the World Cup, the tournament has produced unexpected heroes, goalkeepers who have become legends and pitchers who were trapped in a photograph. Here we review the most dramatic rounds in World Cup history, with special attention to those that changed finals, semi-finals and races. To understand the weight of the goalkeepers in this story, You can also read our review of the best goalkeepers in the history of the World Cups.

1. Federal Germany – France 1982: where it all started

The semi-final in Seville between West Germany and France was the first penalty shoot-out in the history of the World Cup. The game was already crazy before reaching the 11 metros: 3-3 after extension, the Schumacher-Battiston crash, a French comeback and a German response that seemed impossible.

FIFA remembers that night as the beginning of a new form of World Cup drama. Harald Schumacher stopped shots from Didier Six and Maxime Bossis, and West Germany won 5-4. If you want the full context of the match, we have a specific piece on France-Germany 1982 and the night of Seville.

2. Brazil – Italia 1994: Baggio and the silence of Pasadena

The USA final 1994 It was the first World Cup final decided by penalties. The game ended 0-0 after 120 minutes and Brazil won 3-2 In the batch. The definitive image was Roberto Baggio sending the decisive penalty over the crossbar.

Baggio had supported Italy during the tournament, but public memory froze his World Cup at that launch. Brazil won its fourth World Cup and football learned that a final could be closed with a solitary walk from the center of the field.

3. Italia – France 2006: Trezeguet's crossbar

The Berlin final is over 1-1 and it was resolved from the penalty spot. Italy hit all their shots. France missed one: David Trezeguet hit the crossbar and the ball did not go in. Fabio Grosso transformed the final and closed the fourth Italian world title.

UEFA remembers that round as one of the most dramatic in modern football. Zidane's expulsion had marked the extension, but the cup was decided in a minimal detail: a shot that hit the crossbar and returned to the field.

4. Argentina – France 2022: the total final was also a round

The Qatar final 2022 It was already historic before the penalties: 3-3, Messi double, hat-trick by Mbappé and a save by Emiliano Martínez against Kolo Muani in the last breath of extra time. Then the round arrived and Argentina did not fail.

Martínez saved Kingsley Coman's penalty, Tchouaméni threw wide and Montiel scored the penalty that gave Argentina its third World Cup. FIFA collects that final as an Argentine consecration on penalties after one of the most extraordinary matches in history. Inside the Argentine story, connect fully with the big names of the history of Argentina.

5. Croatia – Brazil 2022: the blow that no one expected

Brazil seemed to have found a way out with Neymar's goal in extra time. But Croatia tied with Bruno Petkovic in the minute 117 and took the game to a shootout that completely changed the mood of the World Cup.

Dominik Livakovic saved the first Brazilian penalty, released by Rodrygo, and Marquinhos crashed the last one into the post. Croatia once again demonstrated enormous competitive composure and Brazil was eliminated in one of those matches that weigh on for years. FIFA includes this shootout in its memories of the most dramatic penalties of the tournament.

6. Argentina – Netherlands 2022: Draw Martínez and the chaos of Lusail

Argentina had the game under control, but the Netherlands tied with two goals from Wout Weghorst, the second in a blackboard play in the minute 101. The accumulated tension exploded in a round full of gestures, looks and psychological pressure.

Emiliano Martínez stopped the shots of Van Dijk and Berghuis, and Argentina advanced to the semifinals. FIFA titled that story with Martínez getting Argentina out of trouble in Lusail. It was a rough round, emotional and very typical of a World Cup that took the tension to the limit.

7. Germany – Argentina 2006: Lehmann's notebook

In the German quarterfinals 2006, The host eliminated Argentina in a round that left a curious image: Jens Lehmann consulting a note before the launches. Germany won 4-2 and continued ahead in his World Cup.

That round reinforced the idea that penalties are not just chance. There is a study, memory, body reading and an enormous capacity to sustain pressure. It also left Argentina with one of its most painful eliminations before the cycles of 2014 y 2022.

8. Croatia – Denmark 2018: two goalkeepers against the world

Croatia and Denmark tied 1-1 and they ended in an extraordinary round due to the prominence of the goalkeepers. Kasper Schmeichel and Danijel Subasic turned the duel into a psychological battle from the goal.

Subasic stopped 3 penalties in the shootout and Croatia won 3-2. It was one of the first warnings that that Croatian team had a special relationship with extra time, suffering and long qualifying rounds.

9. Brazil – Chile 2014: Jara's post

Brazil and Chile played a very tough match in the round of 16 of the World Cup 2014. The shootout ended with Gonzalo Jara hitting the post and Brazil surviving an elimination that would have completely changed the tournament at home..

The image of the ball hitting the post still summarizes the vertigo of that World Cup. Brazil breathed, Chile left with the feeling of having touched a feat and the host remained alive until a semifinal that would end up being traumatic.

10. Argentina – Netherlands 1998: a shootout before Bergkamp's goal

Although the match is remembered above all for Dennis Bergkamp's goal in the minute 90, Argentina and the Netherlands are also part of the culture of World Cup penalties due to their crosses from different eras. The tension between both teams has built a long knockout rivalry, hard nights and extreme outcomes.

That is why the crossing of 2022 had so much symbolic weight: It was not an isolated batch, but a new chapter in a World Cup history full of pending accounts.

Why penalties in World Cups weigh so much

Penalties condense everything that makes the World Cup great and terrible. It doesn't matter if a team has played better during 120 minutes; in the end, the story focuses on a short race, a hit, a stop or a pole.

They also elevate the figure of the goalkeeper. Schumacher, Taffarel, Buffon, Casillas, Subasic, Livakovic and Emiliano Martínez are part of that genealogy of goalkeepers who transformed a round into a biography. That is why any review of world cup goalkeepers falls short if it does not include the psychological dimension of the 11 metros.

Eleven meters that change history

Penalty shootouts are where the World Cup becomes cruelest and most epic. A goalkeeper can become a legend in ten minutes. A striker can carry for years with a missed shot. A team can touch the sky or be left out without having lost the match at stake.

From Federal Germany-France 1982 until Argentina-France 2022, The penalties have left some of the most intense images in the history of the World Cup: Baggio in Pasadena, Trezeguet in Berlin, Gyan in Johannesburg, Krul against Costa Rica, Subašić y Livaković con Croacia, Bonus against Spain and Draw Martínez in Qatar.

Soccer is played during 90 o 120 minutes, but sometimes it all comes down to a lonely walk from the center of the field to the penalty spot. There is not just one game decided. Sometimes an entire football life is decided.

Sources consulted

Sources: FIFA, the longest runs of the World Cup; FIFA, penalty shootout history; FIFA, dramatic World Cup rounds; FIFA, Argentina-Netherlands 2022; FIFA, Argentina-France 2022; UEFA, Italy-France 2006.