The World Cup Penalty Shootouts That Broke Nations, Explained

The penalty shootout doesn't care how good you are. Not your golden generation, not your unbeaten run, not your superstar. Eleven meters, one ball — and it has broken more nations than any defender ever has. This is every World Cup penalty shootout that broke a footballing giant, explained: the most talented teams of their era, walked to the edge of glory and then beaten from the spot. France's beautiful 1982 side and the Schumacher horror. Italy, hosts in 1990, broken in Maradona's own city. England and the curse that lasted thirty years. Roberto Baggio over the bar in the 1994 final. Beckham's red card in 1998. Lehmann's note from his sock in 2006. Spain's thousand passes into nothing. The night England's curse finally broke against Colombia. Messi, Mbappé, and the greatest final ever played. And now, this tournament — two more giants added to the list. Chapters: 0:00 France 1982 — the first shootout in World Cup history 1:39 Italy 1990 — the hosts, broken in Maradona's city 2:57 England 1990 — the night the curse was born 4:17 Italy 1994 — the best player on Earth, over the bar 5:22 England 1998 — a red card, and the curse deepens 6:26 Argentina 2006 — the most gifted team, beaten by a note 7:39 Spain 2018 — a thousand passes into nothing 8:57 Colombia 2018 — the night England's curse finally broke 10:06 France 2022 — a hat-trick in the final, and still broken 11:38 2026 — two more giants join the list Which shootout still hurts the most? Tell me in the comments. Subscribe — the next one goes even deeper into the stories behind the World Cup. — Fair use notice: This video contains short excerpts of copyrighted match footage and editorial photographs used for purposes of commentary, criticism, and education under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (fair use). All clips are brief, muted, and used to illustrate the analysis. All rights to the original footage and images remain with their respective owners. Archival footage courtesy of FIFA and the original broadcasters; player and reaction photographs courtesy of their respective agencies (AP, Reuters, Getty Images, AFP and others).