Exciting for neutrals yet dreaded for players, coaches, and fans, the penalty shootout has been an intrinsic part of knockout tournament football, like the FIFA World Cup, since the 1970s.  Here’s all you need to know about penalty shootout rules and their history.

A penalty shootout is one of the most dramatic and pressure-filled methods used to decide the winner of a football (soccer) match when teams remain tied after regular and extra time. It was first formally introduced by FIFA in 1970, although the concept of deciding tied matches through penalty kicks had been experimented with in various forms before then. The first major tournament to feature a penalty shootout was the 1976 UEFA European Championship, where Czechoslovakia famously defeated West Germany 5-3, with Antonín Panenka scoring the decisive "Panenka" chip that became iconic.

Since then, penalty shootouts have become a staple of knockout-stage drama, featuring prominently in prestigious competitions like the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and Copa America. Notable shootouts include the 1994 World Cup final, where Brazil defeated Italy, with Roberto Baggio famously missing the decisive kick, and the 2006 World Cup final, where Italy triumphed over France after Zinedine Zidane's controversial headbutt and Marco Materazzi's equalizing goal in regular time.  The format typically involves each team taking five alternate penalty kicks, and if still tied, proceeding to sudden death. Goalkeepers play a critical role, with legends like Iker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon, and Tim Krul earning their place in history through clutch saves. While the shootout adds intense excitement, it remains one of the most nerve-wracking and unpredictable elements of the beautiful game, often criticized for its reliance on individual rather than team effort.

To understand penalty shootouts, it’s essential to know what penalty kicks are.

During a football match, when a defending team commits a foul or a handball inside its own penalty box, the opposition side is awarded a penalty or penalty kick.

During a penalty kick, any one player from the team that won the penalty places the ball on the penalty spot, a circular mark 11m away from the centre of the goal. The player then tries to score a goal with only the opposition goalkeeper allowed to defend the goal.

The 1v1 situation is advantageous to the player taking the penalty kick, also called the spotkick.

During a penalty kick, the goalkeeper must have at least one foot touching the goal line, or behind it, the moment the penalty taker kicks the ball. Failure to comply results in the penalty kick being retaken. This rule was added in 2019, and before that, there were no restrictions on the goalies from coming off their line early.

Additionally, a ball must be completely still before the penalty kick is taken.

Penalty shootouts take the rules of penalty kicks as a base to establish a tie-breaking method.

A penalty shootout occurs in a football (soccer) match when the score remains tied after both regular time (90 minutes) and any extra time (typically two 15-minute halves) in knockout-stage or elimination matches. It is used to determine a clear winner when a draw is not acceptable, such as in tournament knockout rounds, cup finals, or playoffs.

Penalty shootouts are common in competitions like the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, and domestic cup tournaments, where progressing to the next stage or winning the championship is at stake.

Though the penalty shootout was adopted by FIFA in 1970, it took time to be implemented in the FIFA World Cup.

After trial runs in domestic leagues, the 1976 European Championship was the first major international tournament that was decided through a penalty shootout, as Czechoslovakia beat West Germany 5-3 on penalties after playing out a 2-2 draw.

In 1977, the penalty shootout was used for the first time in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match. Tunisia hosted Morocco in the first round of the CAF (African) qualifiers and won on penalties after extra time.  FIFA adopted the penalty shootout rule for the 1978 World Cup held in Argentina, but it was not required in that edition.

The first time that a penalty shootout decided a World Cup match was at the 1982 edition held in Spain. Finalists West Germany edged out France 5-4 in the shootout after their semi-final clash was tied at 3-3 after extra time.

Incidentally, 12 penalty kicks were taken in the Germany vs France shootout in 1982, which makes it the joint-longest penalty shootout in World Cup history alongside Sweden’s 5-4 shootout win over Romania in the quarter-finals of the USA 1994.

West Germany, incidentally, were a part of the shortest penalty shootout, only four kicks long, in the FIFA World Cup as well. The Germans beat Mexico 3-1 in the 1986 quarter-finals.

A total of 35 FIFA World Cup matches have been decided through penalties to date, including the 1994, 2006, and 2022 finals.

The first World Cup final decided by a penalty shootout was in the USA 1994, with Brazil and Italy facing off for the title. After a goalless stalemate, Brazil beat the Azzurri 3-2 in the shootout, with Roberto Baggio missing a famous penalty in the match.

Italy, incidentally, were on the right side of the shootout result in the 2006 final, as they trumped France 5-3 in the shootout after being locked at 1-1 after extra time.

Argentina holds the record of being involved in the most penalty shootouts in the FIFA World Cup -- seven. They lost only one of these, the 2006 quarterfinals vs Germany.

Germany, meanwhile, has never lost a penalty shootout in the FIFA World Cup, winning all four of the dreaded tie-breakers. Croatia, three wins in three, is the only other team that has been involved in more than one penalty shootout in the World Cup but still holds a 100 percent record.

England, Italy, and Spain have each lost three of the four penalty shootouts they have been involved in at World Cups to date.  Portugal’s Ricardo and Croatia’s Danijel Subasic and Dominik Livakovic jointly hold the record for saving the most number of penalties in a single World Cup penalty shootout. Ricardo saved three against England in the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals, while Subasic managed as many against Denmark in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Round of 16. Livakovic's feat came against Japan in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Round of 16.

Danijel Subasic saved another penalty against Russia in the 2018 quarter-finals against Russia, which brought him level with Argentina’s Sergio Goycochea for the most penalty saves in a single edition of the World Cup. Goycochea saved two each against Yugoslavia in the quarters and Italy in the semis to guide his team to the final of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

Ukrainian goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovskiy is the only goalkeeper to have not conceded a goal in a World Cup penalty shootout. Against Switzerland in the 2006 World Cup Round of 16, Shovkovskiy saved two and watched Tranquillo Barnetta hit the post as Ukraine edged out Switzerland 3-0.

Italy legend Roberto Baggio has been a part of three different World Cup penalty shootouts, the most by any player in history. He scored in two of them but ended up on the losing side on all three occasions.

A penalty shootout in football (soccer) is a method used to determine the winner of a match that remains tied after regular and extra time, primarily in knockout-stage competitions. It is governed by the Laws of the Game set by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The process begins with a coin toss to decide which team will take the first penalty and which goal will be used. Each team selects five players to take the initial set of penalties, with teams alternating their shots. The kicks are taken from the penalty mark, 11 meters (12 yards) from the goal, and only the goalkeeper and the designated kicker are allowed inside the penalty area during the attempt.

The basic structure involves each team taking five penalties, and the team that scores the most after these initial rounds is declared the winner. If the score remains tied after both teams have taken their five kicks, the shootout proceeds to sudden death, where each team continues to take one kick each until one team scores and the other fails. In this phase, any player, including those who have already taken a penalty, may be called upon again if all eligible players have taken their turn.

Goalkeepers are also permitted to take penalties, and outfield players may step into the goalkeeper role if a team's goalkeeper is injured or sent off during the shootout. The goalkeeper must remain on the goal line until the ball is kicked, though recent rule adjustments allow for slight movement, such as bouncing or waving, to distract the kicker. VAR (Video Assistant Referee) may be used to review encroachment or other infringements during the shootout. The outcome of a shootout is recorded separately from the official match score, meaning a team can win a shootout even if the match itself was drawn.