The 10 countries who’ve never lost a World Cup penalty shootout | OneFootball

Losing a World Cup penalty shoot-out is an especially heartbreaking way to go out. But these countries have never experienced that pain.

A penalty shootout is where some players and teams wilt under the pressure – but others wouldn’t know it.

Not counting West Germany – who won three World Cup penalty shootouts before German unification – here are the 10 countries to have taken part in at least one World Cup penalty shootout and never lost.

Croatia (4)

Top of the list thanks to two penalty shootout wins apiece at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Croatia became strong contenders to win either tournament.

They won their shootout against Denmark 3-2 in the 2018 round of 16, before beating Russia 4-3 in the next round.

Runners-up in 2018, when Danijel Subasic was their goalkeeper, they reached the semi-finals again in 2022 – now with Dominik Livakovic in net – after wins on penalties against Japan and Brazil at the same stages as the previous tournament.

Livakovic saved all three of Japan’s penalties in the round of 16.

Luka Modric scored in three of the four shootouts, with the sole exception of the Japan game, since he’d been taken off in extra time.

Paraguay (2)

Giant killers of the moment after knocking Germany – and their previous perfect penalty record – out at the round of 32, Paraguay have just won their second World Cup penalty shootout.

The first was in 2010 against Japan in the round of 16, with all five Paraguayan takers scoring.

It was a bit more nervy against Germany, with their first three penalties going in but their next two missing to take it to sudden death.

After Jonathan Tah’s miss, Jose Canale converted to send Paraguay through to the last 16.

They had their keeper Orlando Gill to thank after saving penalties from Premier League duo Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade.

Morocco (2)

The third and final country so far to win multiple World Cup penalty shootouts without losing one is Morocco, who did so on the same night as Paraguay.

Morocco knocked out the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties, with Ismael Saibari scoring the winning effort.

Saibari also scored in their previous World Cup penalty shootout, a 3-0 win over Spain in the 2022 round of 16 in which Yassine Bounou saved two penalties.

Belgium (1)

Belgium beat Spain 5-4 on penalties in the 1986 quarter-finals, becoming the first side in World Cup history to score a perfect five from five in a shootout.

Bulgaria (1)

One of the dark horses of the 1994 World Cup, Bulgaria’s journey to the semi-finals included a 3-1 penalty shootout win over Mexico in the round of 16, without even needing Hristo Stoichkov to take one.

Sweden (1)

The other unexpected semi-finalists in 1994, Sweden booked their place in that round by beating Romania 5-4 on penalties after sudden death, despite missing the first kick.

South Korea (1)

Even Iker Casillas was no match for South Korea’s penalty takers in their 2002 quarter-final against Spain, which the co-hosts won 5-3 with a perfect record from 12 yards.

Ukraine (1)

Ukraine must have been fearing the worst when star man Andriy Shevchenko missed their first penalty against Switzerland in the 2006 round of 16, but they needn’t have worried.

Their opponents missed all their penalties and Ukraine scored the rest of theirs to win 3-0.

Portugal (1)

No prizes for remembering who Portugal’s penalty shootout win was against.

Quarter-finals. 2006. Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher miss, and it’s game over for England’s golden generation. A 21-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner.

Uruguay (1)

We still feel Ghana’s pain. They wouldn’t have even been in a penalty shootout with Uruguay in the 2010 quarter-finals if it wasn’t for Luis Suarez’s handball on the line, nor if Asamoah Gyan had scored the penalty that followed.

Then, in a cruel twist of fate, Ghana lost the subsequent shootout 4-3, with Diego Forlan getting Uruguay off to a positive start and Sebastian Abreu finishing the job.