Most Penalties Scored At World Cups

Spreadex Sports' Study Reveals Which Team Has Scored The Most Penalties At World Cups; Find out where England place, the surprise teams with more penalties scored than Brazil, and which multi-time winners miss out on the top rankings.

Footballing moments don't get much more dramatic than taking a penalty at the World Cup. The 2026 edition saw 22 awarded (excluding shootouts), continuing the trend we have seen at World Cups of more and more spot kicks since the introduction of VAR in 2018. 

The Spreadex team have crunched the numbers to reveal which teams have historically scored the most World Cup penalties (again, excluding shootouts) and which players were responsible for delivering those goals.

1. Spain – 17 scored

• Fernando Hierro (3)
• David Villa (2)
• 12 others (1)

Reigning champions Spain come out on top with a mighty 17 penalties put away. This may come as a surprise considering Spain didn’t qualify for 4 tournaments between 1954 – 1974. However, deep runs in 2010 and 2026, along with a host of different reliable takers, see them top the list.

=2. France – 15 scored.

• Antoine Griezmann (3)
• Kylian Mbappe (2)
• Zinédine Zidane (2)

Two-time champions France scored sit 2^nd in the all-time list with 13 scored. Antoine Griezmann bagged three goals from the spot en route to victory in 2018, and few will ever forget Kylian Mbappe's brace of penalties in the 2022 final. Along with Zidane's efforts in 1998 and 2006, France have scored four penalties in World Cup finals, showing that they can rise above the pressure when it matters most.

=2. England – 15 scored

• Harry Kane (6)
• Ron Flowers (2)
• Gary Lineker (2)

While famed for their woeful record in World Cup penalty shoot-outs, England have fared much better in normal time. 11 penalties scored puts them joint 2nd in the list with France. England's current captain Harry Kane is the most prolific penalty taker in World Cup history, with six to his name and only one miss. 

3. West Germany (& Germany) – 13 scored

• Lothar Matthäus (2)
• Fritz Walter (2)
• 9 others (1)

Known for being cool under pressure, West Germany, and now Germany, have scored 13 pens in their World Cup history. Scorers for them include 1990-winning captain Lothar Matthäus and current centre forward Kai Havertz. However, perhaps surprisingly, none have come from their leading World Cup goal-scorer – Miroslav Klose.

4. Argentina - 12 scored

• Lionel Messi (4)
• Gabriel Batistuta (3)
• 5 others (1)

Champions of the 1978, 1986 and 2022 editions, Argentina sit fourth on the list. Leading the way for the Albiceleste is of course, Lionel Messi, who scored four spot kicks during their victorious run in 2022. However, Messi's penalty record is far from spotless - he's only converted half of his eight attempts from the spot at World Cups.

=5. Mexico – 11 scored

• Cuauhtémoc Blanco (2)
• Alberto García Aspe (2)
• 6 others (1)

The first side to have not won the World Cup, 2026 co-host Mexico, come in at number five. Despite the quarter-final being their best result at a World Cup, Mexico have scored plenty from the spot. Their most recent penalty came during a famous round of 16 clash with England at the Azteca, though Raúl Jiménez's strike wasn't enough to see Mexico progress.

=5. Brazil – 11 scored

• Neymar jr (3)
• 9 players (1)

The most successful World Cup team in history with 5 tournament wins, and the only team to appear at every tournament, it's perhaps surprising that Brazil don't appear higher on the list. Scorers include legendary players like Ronaldo Nazário, Ronaldinho, and most recently, Neymar, who scored from the spot with perhaps the last kick of his World Cup career against Norway in the 2026 tournament.

=6. Portugal - 10 SCORED

• Cristiano Ronaldo (4)
• Eusebio (4) 
• Bruno Fernandes (1)

Portugal have scored 10 penaltiees at World Cup finals, with the vast majority coming from perhaps the two greatest players in the nation's history. Eusébio notched four penalties in just one tournament in 1966, whilst Ronaldo took two decades and six tournaments (2006-2026) to amass four for himself. 

=6. Netherlands – 10 scored

• Rob Resenbrink (4)
• Johan Neeskens (3)
• 3 others (1)

Finishing off our list is the Netherlands, who have also never won the World Cup, suffering defeats in the final in 1974, 1978 and 2010. Dutch forward Rob Resenbrink is their most prolific scorer from the spot, with four goals from four attempts.