The knockout rounds of the World Cup 2026 are underway as teams face off in the round of 32, and Germany vs Paraguay has become the first game to go to extra-time and penalties, as the two sides drew 1-1 after 120 minutes in Boston.
Penalty shoot-outs were first introduced at the 1978 World Cup and they have since become a defining feature of knockout football, with the 2022 final settled with spot-kicks and shoot-outs also required in 1994 and 2006.
Nowadays, the format is regarded as one of the most exciting – and yet potentially cruel – ways to decide a match, and teams can rarely win a World Cup without navigating the pressures of extra-time or penalties (and often both).
In 2026 there will likely be plenty of late drama in the knockout rounds as teams participate in the extended tournament, so read on to find out how penalty shoot-outs work this year.
What are the penalty shoot-out rules at the World Cup?
If the game remains level after the 30 minutes of extra-time, then it goes to a penalty shoot-out.
Before the first penalty is taken, the referee conducts two coin tosses. The first decides which team takes the first spot-kick, while the second coin toss is done to decide which end of the pitch the penalties are taken from. Fifa has submitted a proposal to change the coin toss to one single toss – with the winner deciding one factor and the loser deciding the other – though no changes will be made during the World Cup.
The shoot-out itself consists of five penalties for each team, with teams alternating takers. Only players who were on the pitch at the full-time whistle (at the end of extra-time) are permitted to take penalties.
If both sides score the same number of their first five penalties, the shoot-out goes to ‘sudden death’. In this scenario, each team alternates taking a penalty, with the first team to miss then losing the shoot-out.
Players cannot benefit from rebounds in penalty shoot-outs, and goalkeepers must be on their lines when attempting to make a save.
