The first-kick curse! Strange penalty shootout trend strikes again at the World Cup
Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
A curious trend continues at World Cups: teams taking the first penalty in a shootout have been losing more often than not in recent years.
Details: Only 2 out of the last 14 World Cup penalty shootouts have been won by the team that kicked first.
The latest example is the Australia vs Egypt clash in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. After a 1-1 draw in regular time, the Socceroos fell 2-4 in the penalty shootout.
Australia stepped up first, but their start was disastrous: Harry Souttar failed to convert his opening attempt. Egypt kept their nerve and booked their ticket to the next round.
Now, teams kicking off the shootout have won just 14% of the last 14 shootouts—an incredible drop from earlier years, when 15 of the first 24 World Cup shootouts (63%) were won by the side going first.
Recall: Egypt beat Australia on penalties to reach the World Cup round of 16 for the first time since 1934. Read more
